Drag Hunting
by illusionofsleep
Summary: A new client, a new target, Hunter J has only just begun to cause havoc for the our young trainers. Read and Review so I know which stories to focus on.
1. The Meeting

A/N: This idea has been floating around in my head for a long while, and finally I got some of it down on paper. Hunter J in my opinion is the best baddy in the Pokémon Anime series, it is a shame she is rarely shown. Pokémon is owned by Game Freak and Nintendo. I do not own anything.

Chapter 1

"Ah Hunter J, a pleasure to finally meet the legend." A tiny man greeted as he got up from his desk to meet the woman who had just entered his office.

"The pleasure is all mine, I am sure," The hunter responded as she observed the tiny man before her smiling madly like a goon. The smile on his was certainly his most distinguishable trait she had notice thus far. He was not much a man in the sense that he was so tiny; J had seen ten year olds bigger than this man before her. He was so unlike her previous clients before, this small man seemed to lack the air of ill intent. However the hunter knew better than anybody that first impressions could often times be deceiving.

What he lacked in size though Gareth made up for in money and power, which was one of the reasons Hunter J was now standing before him now. J had only heard rumors of Gareth and his black reputation, and now standing before him now, did not believe a single word. Perhaps rumors of his black heart had been a little exaggerated she thought as she noticed that ridiculous smile was still smacked across his face.

She took the seat position directly in front of the desk centered in the middle of the massive room. Gareth seeing the hunter had settled in made his way back to his seat behind his desk, and pressed a button on the phone.

"Ida," he called out with authority, "I am in a very important business meeting be sure i am not interrupted."

"Yes sir." A woman's voice responded after a moment. Satisfied they would not be interrupted Gareth pulled out a small device from his coat pocket and after pressing a few buttons placed in on the table.

"I am supposing you are wondering why I have called for your services." The man began as he sat back in his chair examining the woman across from him.

"The question has crossed my mind." J merely said.

Gareth let out a small laugh, that smile never leaving his face, "Do forgive me Hunter J, but I always imagined you to be a man, based off of your reputation"

"Most men do." the hunter responded coyly as she crossed her legs to make herself a little more comfortable.

"Yes I would guess so." He simply said. "Not much of a talker huh?" Gareth continued after a moment of silence.

"I believe you have called me here because you have a job for me, not to talk over tea." J simply said as she grew impatient with the little man.

"Yes," Gareth continued on smile still present. To be honest that stupid smile was starting to annoy the hunter.

"Hunter J gets the job done is the talk of the water cooler." Gareth began, "No matter what the job."

Hunter J did not respond. She merely continued watching the man waiting for him to get to the point. Suddenly out of nowhere that goofy smile dropped off of Gareth's face and his demeanor change completely from friendly, to strictly business. "Or so it was."

The hunter did not say a word, wondering where Gareth was going with all of this she decided it would be best to just let him continue.

"It seems as though you have gained a new reputation, one that could be bad for business." Gareth continued as he clasped his hands in front of his face in thought as he watched the woman before him for any kind of response.

The hunter gritted her teeth in anger at being reminded of her new troubles. Truth was her clientele had been dropping off steadily when people had heard most of her former clients had been caught due to the efforts of a group of ten year olds. Her title of the Notorious Hunter J, something she had worked long and hard for her entire life, had slipped away from her, and now she was just another hunter, extremely risky to hire.

Even her efforts to punish those had had stripped her of her title had failed. It was disturbing to think that her greatest adversary turned out to be a ten year old boy partnered with a Pikachu. J did not know why Gareth was bringing this up, she assumed it was part of his business strategy, but she did not appreciate being reminded of her failures.

"A few minor inconveniences." She replied in a controlled voice, "But my reputation still holds true, I can still get what you want." She finished.

"As long as there are no children around." Gareth countered with a smile. The hunter flashed disgust at hearing his remark, and abruptly got up from her seat. "I did not come here to be insulted Gareth." She spat bitterly at him, "I came here under the pretenses you had a job for me." She finished as she banged her fist down on the table in frustration of it all.

"Good." Gareth replied much to the confusion of the Hunter. He smoothly gestured for the hunter to resume her seat. After she did, Gareth reached into one of his drawers pulling out a manila envelope. Carelessly he tossed it across the desk the hunter. After it slid to a stop the Hunter carefully picked up the thick envelope and pulled out its contents.

Right on top the stack of papers sat a photograph. She examined it closely. It was a poor photograph; obviously the photographer had taken the picture without the subject's knowledge due to the fact that his back was facing the lens. The Picture itself had been taken at t great distant and was a little fuzzy, but J knew upon first glance who the picture was of.

She began to visibly shake with rage as she realized the picture was of the Brat boy and his Pikachu. Gareth smiled to himself upon seeing the hunter's rage pour out of her eyes as she examined the photo. They sat there in silence for a moment until Hunter J finally spoke.

"I am familiar with this Pikachu, it is a fine Specimen." She began but was cut off before she could continue.

"Yes we are aware of that," Gareth replied, "But that is not what we are after."

J looked up at Gareth in confusion, and then back to the photograph. Had she missed something? Her search for some other Pokémon hidden in the photo came up empty. The brat was the only other subject in the picture but...

"You have got to be kidding me." J spat in realization of what Gareth's intentions were.

"Yes." Gareth smiled, that stupid grin returning again, "The boy is what we want."

"What?" J asked bemused. "Gareth need I remind you that I am a Pokémon hunter, and being a Pokémon hunter I capture and sell POKEMON." She stressed concluding that the man before her had lost his mind.

"I am aware." Gareth replied

"If you do not have a Pokémon subject, then this meeting is a waste of both of our times." Hunter J replied angrily as she got up from her chair the second time, only this time she had every intention of leaving this lunatic. She had made it to the door when Gareth's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"On the contrary. I am aware of your past record with this child, which is why I have sent for you. You have to most to gain from this mission succeeding. "Gareth said as he got up from his desk and slowly made his way to where the hunter had froze by the door.

"You have sent your entire life making a name for yourself as a Pokémon Hunter and for awhile you had a good thing going." Gareth continued inching closer to the woman.

"That is until the day you met this child." He said as he grabbed the photo from the desk, holding it up to her to make his point even though her back was turned towards him.

"How many missions have been busts because of this kid? And how many more will fail, until finally he will end you and your business, and you will spend the rest of your life behind bars."

J clenched her fists in an attempt to hold back her anger as the man continued to bait her. He was getting to her and he knew it. "Hard to believe a kid could be so powerful, I know I could not believe it either. Look again J, "Gareth continued when he finally was right behind her.

The hunter turned around and was face to face with the photograph, anger burning in her eyes. "Why has he succeeded where so many have failed before?" Gareth asked her as she continued to glare at the photo.

"Listen to me Hunter J. If you accept this mission and succeed, this brat will be out of your hair forever, and you can rebuild your notorious reputation again and continued doing what you love so much." Gareth said calmly as he continued to watch the hunter as she continued to gaze at the photo.

J continued gazing at the photograph deep in thought. She would love nothing more than to make the brat suffer for all that he had done, but she wasn't quite sure why she was so reluctant to partake in this mission. Sure she had made her way through life being a relentless Pokémon hunter, but targeting people, that was an entirely different branch of crime she was not familiar with.

On the other hand if she did succeed she was sure no one in their right mind would mess in her affairs ever again. Not if she succeeded, when she succeeded. Tales of terror would sprout, her name alone would strike fear into the hearts of many once again. "What did you exactly have in mind?" J finally replied as she tore the photograph from the man's hands, her gaze unwavering from the little man before her to show him, she meant business.


	2. The Eye of the Storm

A/N: This story is still in working progress but for the most part it is complete, so I feel I should post what I feel is considered completed and get some feedback.

Chapter 2: The Eye of the Storm

Rain. That four letter word sure did not seem like much, but Ash knew better than that. It had done nothing but rain for the past week, he believed it could not possibly rain anymore, and yet Mother Nature seemed to go out of her way to prove him wrong. Ash sighed loudly as he watched the rain pour down from the opening of a cave they had taken shelter in. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the sun, and was really beginning to miss it.

Pikachu also seemed to pick up his mood perched upon his shoulder, as he too sighed at the depressing scene before him. Ash looked over at the pokémon and affectionately stroked him under his chin. At least it wasn't storming today…yet.

"I just wish it would stop for a little bit." Dawn said from behind him. Deciding it was not going to let up anytime soon Ash turned to join the rest of his friends by the fire now started in the center of the cave in an attempt to dry out their soaked clothing. "Me too," Brock replied as he stoked the fire, "If this keeps up we will have to swim to Sunnyshore." The rain seemed to slap the earth even harder at Brocks last statement, creating a solid wall of water.

"Well it doesn't look like we're going anywhere any time soon." Ash sighed as he sunk his head down in depression. At this rate they would never get to the Sunnyshore gym and his gym match. Sometimes Ash felt as if the universe was working against him.

"Cheer up Ash." Dawn chipped in noticing his mood. "We'll be in Sunnyshore in no time at all." She smiled at him hoping to cheer him up if only a little bit. Ash smiled at Dawn's attempt to cheer him up, but the bleak weather seemed to keep his spirits down. The group sat there in silence as they watched the wall of water cascading down the cave opening. At some point Pikachu climbed off of Ash and curled up by the fire next to Piplup fast asleep.

Time seemed to pass slowly and twilight hours came drifting in. "Well," Brock said breaking the silence of the group "looks like we will be staying here for the night." He promptly stood up looking down at the two trainers, "I'll need someone to go fetch some more firewood so that it can dry out over night, and we will be able to have a fire in the morning." He announced.

Ash and Dawn looked at each other in dismay. They both turned their attention back outside to see the rain hadn't let up at all. "Well I am willing to sacrifice the excitement of searching for firewood to stay here and keep you company." Dawn blurted out before Ash could object.

"What?" Ash cried out realizing this task had just fallen on to him, again.

"Well I guess this means, that-" Brock began but was cut off by Ash, "yeah I 'm going."

He moaned as he glared at his friends. "Come on Pika…" he began but trailed off when he saw how peaceful his friend looked curled up by the fire, all warm and dry. It just didn't seem fair to ask him to come along with him to trudge through the rain looking for more firewood.

"Nevermind" he sighed as he stood up adjusting his hat knowing it wasn't going to keep his head dry for very long. Dawn was beginning to feel a little bad for forcing this task onto Ash, but she certainly did not want to walk around out there in the rain.

Brock and Dawn both watched Ash as he walked out of their warm dry cave, mumbling something about always having to do all the dirty work until he disappeared from sight.

"Come on Dawn." Brock said feeling bad for Ash as well, "Let's having some food prepared for when he gets back, that way he won't be so mad." Dawn nodded in agreement as she helped Brock with dinner preparations.

Ash hadn't been outside for five minutes and he was already soaked to the bone. The rain seemed to even kick in a little harder as if to laugh at him. He had to walk quite a way away from the mouth of the cave to find some firewood. The cave they were currently taking shelter in, or rather Brock and Dawn were currently taking shelter in, was positioned high above the valley floor, showing the northern base of Mount Cornet. It was quite the sight that was for sure. Ash paused in his quest for fire wood and made his way over the ledge, wondering if would be able to see Sunnyshore city. He could see for miles, despite the wall of water blocking his view. He stood there for a moment longer until he began to shiver, realizing that he should probably get back to collecting firewood so he could get out of the rain but turned back when he heard something.

It was definitely a sound that did not belong here out in the middle of the forest, but it was unmistakably there. It almost sounded like a vehicle, but that didn't make sense because there were no roads around. Ash listened closer when he realized it was coming from below. He walked back over to the edge to peer over when his foot slipped in the super saturated ground beneath his feet. Ash cried out in surprise as the arm load of firewood he collected flew out of his arms as he slipped down the side of the cliff. He tried desperately to grab hold of something but nothing would hold due to the excessive rain. He continued to tumble and slide through the mud until he finally hit the bottom, landing with a soft thump in a pool of mud, knocking the breath out of him.

Meanwhile, Back at the cave…

"Pi?" The little mouse pokémon said as its ears twitched, waking from its nap. Pikachu glanced around the cave and was surprised to not find Ash anywhere. "Pikapi?" Pikachu asked confused as he stood up.

"What's wrong Pikachu?" Dawn asked noticing the strange behavior of the electric rodent.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out as he ignored Dawn's question, and dashed out of the cave in search for his trainer.

"Pikachu!" Dawn cried out after it, not quite sure what was going on.

"Dawn, let's go too," Brock replied after witnessing Pikachu's behavior. Together they both dashed out of the cave and into the rain after the little mouse pokémon.

"What could have caused Pikachu to run out like that?" Dawn asked as she ran alongside of Brock.

"Something must have happened to Ash," Brock answered not once breaking his stride determined to get to his friend, hoping it was nothing too serious like the last time this had happened.

Back to our hero…

Ash groaned as he picked himself up out of the mud. He looked up the ledge he had just fallen down and sighed knowing there was no possible way he could climb back up there. "This is just not my day." he said wiping the mud off of his face. He glanced around looking for an alternative path when he heard it again. The noise he had heard from the top of the cliff was much louder down here. With much difficulty Ash crawled out of the mud and followed the noise to its source.

"Come on men; put your backs into it." A voice demanded as the whirling noise droned on. Ash cautiously made his way over behind some bushes. He pulled the branches aside to reveal a group of six men attempting to push a six wheeled vehicle out of the mud. The men pushed against the vehicle in an attempt to break it free but the tires kept spinning failing to get any traction.

"Hunter J's goon squad." Ash whispered to himself as he sank lower into the bushes to make sure they would not spot him. "What are they doing here?" He asked himself.

"I could ask you the same thing." an unfamiliar voice cut in, catching him by surprise as someone grabbed him roughly by the back of his shirt. Ash kicked out against the man, in an attempt to break free, but his grip was solid. The man easily dragged him out of his hiding spot and towards the others.

"Let me go!" He demanded as he continued to drag his feet in the mud resisting every step of the way, drawing the attention of the others by the ATV.

"Commander, look what I found." The man who held Ash captive gloated to the other men, as Ash continued to struggle in his grip holding him out as if to show off. The other men immediately looked at Ash in surprise, when a man, which Ash assumed was the commander stepped forward.

"Hunter J will be most pleased." The commander said, "You have been a thorn in our side for a long time now." he gloated as he continued forward towards Ash, followed by the rest of his men. Ash continued to struggle against his capture, but he refused to let him go. He had to get away from them. In one last attempt Ash stomped his foot down atop the man's foot holding him causing him to cry out in pain, and with a twist of his body slipped out of his vest the man had a hold on, leaving the pain stricken man with only his muddy vest, and unfortunately his hat as well.

"You fool!" Ash heard the commander yell out as he dashed away from them. "You let him get away!" He continued to yell angrily, "after him now!"

"Yes Sir!" The men responded all at once as they ran after the spot Ash had just disappeared from, releasing their crobat from their pokéballs. As the rest of his men disappeared from sight the commander stood by the abandoned ATV. He dug around in his pockets until he found the device he was looking for. "Sir, target has been sighted."

A/N: Love that mud Anime character stay conspicuously clean for all that they do, especially Ash. We will have none of that in this story, it is mud and grim all the way!


	3. Hour of Discontent

Chapter 3: Hour of Discontent

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled out desperate to find his trainer. He just knew something had happened to him, and couldn't stand being away from him.

"Ash!" Brock called out as well really starting to worry about him. They had been searching for him for the past ten minutes and found no trace of him. He couldn't have gotten that far just collecting firewood. They were all drenched, as they wondered around looking for Ash.

"I don't understand where could he have gone?" Dawn asked as she let out a bone wrenching shiver. Brock turned his attention to Dawn when he took in her appearance. She was freezing out here in the rain. As much as he wanted to stay out here and look for Ash, he knew they had better get back to the cave to dry off before any of them got sick. Plus it was really starting to get dark now. He was about to suggest that they resume again in the morning when Pikachu's cry stopped him.

"Pika!" he exclaimed pointing towards a steep muddy cliff. Dawn's turned her gaze in the direction Pikachu had been pointing when she noticed a heap of timber scattered about by the edge of the cliff. They all rushed over examining the scene. Brock did not fail to notice the skid marks down the side of the cliff.

"Brock," Dawn began as realization hit her, "You don't think…" She trailed off as she glanced over the edge. The same thought had occurred to Brock as he peered out over the edge.

"Ash!" He called down hoping to receive some kind of response from him, but became extremely worried after receiving none.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out in vain. It was really starting to get dark now, and Brock knew they would only manage to get lost themselves if they mounted a search at night. Plus this rain did not seem to be helping any. As much as he hated to suggest it, they had to leave Ash out there for the night.

"Brock what are we going to do?" Dawn asked.

"We'll have to resume or search in the morning." He answered. "Let's get back to the cave and get some sleep."

"Brock, we can't just leave him out here, what if he is hurt?" Dawn protested not liking the idea of abandoning their search for Ash. Brock sighed in thought. That possible outcome had crossed his mind, and he did not like the situation any more than Dawn, but what could he do?

"Dawn, I can't do anything about the weather." Brock replied. "We ourselves might slip down a cliff, and then what? A lot of good we are going to do Ash, if we get lost or hurt ourselves. It's best just to dig in our heels and resume our search in the morning."

Dawn realized that all Brock had said made perfect sense, but that did not mean that she had to like what he said. She casted a worried glance over the ledge, wondering just how far down it was. She was about to protest again when a sudden gust blew down upon them nearly causing Pikachu and Piplup to be blown away.

"Besides," He said, "this is Ash we are talking about, he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. In fact he is probably sheltering somewhere from the storm, trust me Dawn this is not the first time this has happened, and the conditions this time aren't nearly as bad as the previous time." With that said the four of them all returned to the cave.

Meanwhile…

"Sir" the man greeted as the salamence landed.

Hunter J coolly jumped off her obedient pokémon and walk over to where the man stood waiting for her.

"Report" she demanded.

"Sir we had the target, but it managed to slip away." The man began; almost fearful of what kind of reaction he would receive from the hunter concerning their failure. The hunter gave no reaction to the news, so the man continued. "He won't get very far in this weather, my men will have him again before morning." he finished as he watched the hunter, waiting for any kind of response.

Hunter J however seemed to be lost in thought and the man wondered if she had heard a single word he had just said. The wind ruffled her blue hair as she sensed the subtle change in the weather announcing something more to come. "Sir?" He called out to her wondering what their next move was going to be.

"Was he alone?" She asked as she continued scanning the immediate area.

"Yes sir." the man replied immediately as he watched the hunter as she smiled upon hearing his answer, it was almost too easy, she thought to herself.

"Call your men off." J said as she turned her attention back her foot soldier now masking confusion at hearing her command.

"Sir?" He asked attentively not quite sure if he had heard her right.

"I said call them off." She commanded more forcefully this time causing the man to jump back a little in fear.

"Have them return to the ship for the night, like you said the target will not get very far in this weather." She continued.

"Sir?"

"Regroup with your men and in the morning find the others and secure them." The hunter commanded him.

"Sir" The man replied as he stiffly brought up his hand to salute. "And the boy?" He asked.

Hunter J smiled once again as she pulled out a pokéball from beneath her cloak. "Leave the boy to me." She said as she nudged salamence to take off.

Elsewhere…

Rain continued to patter down on the forest below creating a rhythmic sound that was hypnotic. The steady flow of water seemed to drown out the sounds of the chase below. Boots harshly slapped the water pooling as they gave chase to their prey. Then it came.

Far off in the distance, Ash could hear its approach. The sound of wind barreling through the trees echoed loudly in the valley as it grew closer. The cold winds pushed him along as he pressed forward. The entire forest was brought to life by the powerful gust. The trees began to sway back and forth violently as it continued to blow. It seemed to pick up power, tossing about the entire forest. Leaves were ripped from their branches as trees crackled and moaned under the intense strain.

High above the clouds rumbled with thunder, and miles below the chaos of the oncoming storm, Ash fought through the chaos now surrounding him.

Every breath he took pushed him further. The sounds of thunder growling above were drowned out by his own pounding heart. He had to get away . The water beneath his feet worked to slow him down but he only pumped his arms harder, striving to reach for freedom. Determination and fear drove him forward through his labored breathing.

The fierce front of the storm tore its way through the valley, as Ash ran for his life. The winds became erratic, seemingly blowing at him from every direction. Branches snapped under the intense winds, as they came crashing down. The rain pounded down upon him making it difficult to see. He fought for every step forward, but it felt as if he were not even moving.

He no longer knew if they were even chasing him anymore, he just continued to run. The heavy rains weighed down his already soaked clothing, the cold of night seemed to sap his strength until his entire body felt the strain of his efforts. He seemed to run for hours until suddenly his body gave out, refusing to take another step as he was sent crashing to the ground.


	4. Conspiracy of Silence

Chapter 4: Conspiracy of Silence

A/N: kind of a long chapter but I like the way it turned out.

And then it was quiet. The silence is probably what had stirred him from his already uneasy sleep. The rain had finally stopped. The morning sun peered around the endless grey skies announcing its return to the world. The pink glow covered the water laden forest below as Brock observed the damage from the past few storms.

It was a mess. Tree branches had broken off many trees, and some trees had been knocked over. Their once proud branches that had once brushed the sky now laid buried in the thick muddy waters that now covered what seemed like the entire valley floor.

There was no doubt in Brock's mind, traveling the valley would be difficult, and finding Ash even more so. He scanned the valley floor below him wondering where they should even start when a noise broke his attention away.

Pikachu had waked and was making his way next to Brock. His heart heavy with worry as he too scanned the mess below. Thoughts of concern for his trainer flooded his mind as he looked up at Brock.

"Don't worry Pikachu." Brock began noticing the concern illustrated upon to mouse pokémon's face. "I'm sure he's alright."

Pikachu nodded at Brock's words, but Pikachu had a bad feeling he could not seem to shake. Something told him his friend was in more trouble than any of them were willing to believe.

"Pikapi." he whispered under his breath, not quite convinced by Brock's reassuring words.

Brock was about to comfort Pikachu some more when a voice from behind cut him off.

"Did it finally stop raining?" Dawn asked as she sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She watched the two figures standing in the cave entrance not really waiting for a response because she could clearly see the sunny shining in.

"Come see for yourself." Brock smiled at her scooting over as she came up beside him to peer out over the valley, Piplup following closely behind.

The four of them stood there a moment taking in the awesome power of Mother Nature until Brock finally broke the silence suggesting a quick breakfast so they could start their search for Ash as soon as possible.

After breakfast the four of them made their way down to the valley floor, their eyes and ears on alert for any sign of their missing friend, but their search turned up nothing as the daylight hours burned. Dawn had suggested that they make their along the cliff ledge thinking that Ash would travel along them looking for a away back up to them. They all agreed and continued the search in silence.

(A/N: it might slow down the pace of the story but now seems like as good as time as any, plus I am a sucker for back story)

"Listen" Brock said after a while as he paused looking around.

"I don't hear anything." Dawn replied as she looked back at Brock, wondering why he had stopped.

"Ever since that storm died down last night I haven't heard a single sound." Brock said as he scanned the eerie landscape. "No wind in the trees, no voices of the wild pokémon. nothing."

Dawn took his words into account as she realized he was right. Now that Brock had brought it up the silence was becoming extremely suffocating.

"Come on." Brock said again after a moment as he continued forward. Dawn paused a moment longer to take in their surroundings one more time. The silence pressed closer to her sending shivers up her spine. Shaking off the unsettling feeling she ran to catch up with Brock. They traveled on a little further until Dawn could not take any more.

"Brock?" Dawn asked aloud hoping to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled around them. "You've been travelling with Ash for a long time now right?"

Brock thought back to all of his adventures with a smile, "yeah about five years now." He replied. (A/N: I acknowledge that time passes, however I do not acknowledge the aging of the anime characters.)

"That's a long time," replied, "did you know Ash before hand?" She continued on curiously. Truth was she was always curious, she just never really had the chance to ask, and now seemed like as good as time as any.

"No" Brock laughed trying to imagine themselves being friends at a younger age.

"Then how does a gym leader come to travel with a pokémon trainer?" She asked even more intrigued as she hauled herself over another fallen tree.

"It's a long story." Brock replied, as he continued walking.

"Well we certainly have the time." Dawn began when it seemed like that was all she was going to get. "How did you guys meet?"

"Yeah time," Brock replied glancing around the wreckage they were currently walking in. "The first time I met Ash was when he came to challenge my gym. You see at the time Ash had only been traveling about two weeks and I was the first gym battle." Brock continued

Brock paused a moment lost in the memory of the young inexperienced trainer walking into his gym. "I remember thinking that it was going to be a waste of my time to battle him, and even told him so, but he was insistent, so I accepted his challenge."

"Really?" Dawn asked trying to imagine Ash as a novice trainer. "So did you change your mind about him after he beat you?" Dawn asked again curiously.

"Actually he didn't beat me." Brock answered much to Dawn's surprise. "He forfeit because Pikachu didn't stand a chance against my Onix." Brock said with a hint of pride.

"Pika" Pikachu replied in a bemused tone towards Brock at hearing his comment.

Dawn smiled at Pikachu's response and hugged Piplup a little closer. "So how did Ash's forfeit lead you to travel with him to Sinnoh?"

"Well if the story had ended there it wouldn't have." Brock replied. "I told him to go home and give up being a trainer."

"A little harsh don't you think?" Dawn asked rather surprised at Brock.

"If you had asked me that before, I never would have thought so but looking back I guess you are right. At the time I was the one taking care of my family. My father took off on a pokémon journey of his own, but had yet to return. My mother gave up all hope, and simply lost the will to carry on.(A/N: another confusing hurtle, in season one Brock's mother died according to Flint, but later on his mother is there, so lost the will to carry on seems safe enough to use.) The responsibilities of gym leader and caretaker of thirteen brothers and sisters fell on my shoulders."

"People who came to me gym with their futures burning brightly before them only angered me at my lost chance to pursue my own. As I watched him leave my gym that day I thought for sure I would never see him again. I never expected him to come back the very next day to challenge me again."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added in excitedly from his perch upon Brock's shoulder.

Dawn paused a moment to take in what Brock had just told her. "So he beat you right?" Dawn asked wondering how things had turned around for Brock.

"No, he forfeited." Brock simply stated, much to Dawn's confusion. "Not because he was losing." Brock added at seeing Dawn's confusion but only succeeded in confusing her further. "Ash was winning the battle, but not in a way he had wanted to." he clarified

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"You see." Brock began, "Pikachu's attacks were so powerful they set off the sprinklers in my gym. My Onix was weakened and all Ash had to do was call out one more attack to win the badge, but instead he called Pikachu back and said he would be back to challenge me again and win fair and square. After that he left my gym."

"After a time I took in what he had said and realized something that I will never forget. In my eyes Ash was more deserving of the badge then any trainer I had previously battled, so I chased after him determined to redeem myself. When I found him I could not stop myself from revealing to him my real dreams to travel and to pursue a career as a pokémon breeder, and asked him to fulfill my dreams through his."

Dawn nodded, motioning for him to continue.

"As it turned out, my father who had disappeared to become a trainer had helped Ash because he reminded him of himself. Through Ash's actions it had given him the courage to return home and resume his responsibilities of being a father, allowing me to travel and follow my own dreams."

Brock paused a moment, thinking back to how different his life would have been had he not met Ash. "It's all because of Ash that I am able to follow my dreams, and I never really thought about it until now." Brock said as he paused thinking about his friend, when he suddenly remembered that they were looking for him.

Dawn paused, her gaze drifted towards the ground realizing how close Ash and Brock must be when she caught a glimpse of something in the distance.

"Brock look!" Dawn cried out as she ran over towards whatever she had spotted. Brock curiously watched her as she wadded through muddy waters towards whatever had caught her eye.

Dawn bent down and picked up a very familiar item. "It's Ash's hat!" she exclaimed as she tried to wipe off some of the mud for him. Brock and Pikachu both glanced around desperately for any sign of the missing trainer but found nothing.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out as he jumped down from his perch upon Brock's shoulder, straining his ears for the slightest noise, but was only met by his own echo.

"Where is he?" Brock asked worriedly as he scanned the area once more.

"Brock this doesn't make sense." Dawn said as she made her way back to Brock. "Why would Ash just leave his hat?"

"He wouldn't." Brock replied

"That's what I'm saying," Dawn continued, "even if the winds had blown off his hat last night, you and I both know that Ash would have done anything to get it back, so he should be around here somewhere and he is clearly not."

"Pikapi!" the little mouse pokémon tried again, but was once again only met by silence.

"Brock." Dawn asked hesitantly not wanting to voice her fears. "You don't think that Ash ran into some kind of trouble do you?"

Brock took her question into consideration, and truth be told he had been thinking that exact same thing. "Knowing Ash for so long, I don't think it, I know it." He finally responded.

"So what now?" Dawn asked, only to stump Brock. To be honest he had no idea. Obviously they had to find Ash, but Brock was hoping that Ash would be closer to the area he had fallen from, but this was not the case. Brock glanced up the long trek Ash had slide done the night before, and then back out at the tangled mess of fallen tree branches. It was a lot of area to cover between the four of them, and they really couldn't even use Staraptor, or Togekiss, the forest was just too dense still.

"Do you hear that?" Dawn asked breaking the Brock's train of thought.

But before Brock could say anything, Pikachu took off in the general direction of the noise.

"Pikachu!" both Brock and Dawn cried out in unison as they quickly followed behind the mouse pokémon as he sprint through the forest towards the source.

"Pikapi!" he cried out as he pushed himself a little harder as the sound grew louder and clearer.

"What is that?" Dawn managed to ask between breaths as the noise persisted, when suddenly realization hit Brock like a brick walls as he slide to a sudden stop.

"Pikachu wait!" He cried out as he stretched out his arm halting Dawn's progression. But Brock's warning fell upon deaf ears as Pikachu continued forward. When suddenly he came to a screeching halt as the trees before him barreled down as a familiar six wheeled vehicle drove on the scene.

"Pikachu!" Dawn cried out when she finally caught up, Brock closely behind. His eyes locked on the vehicle as another came barreling through. Pikachu growled as sparks began to emit from his cheeks. He knew Ash had run into trouble.

Brock gritted his teeth in anticipation as four men came piling out of the vehicle and made their way over towards where they stood. Brock carefully placed himself in front of the others wondering what exactly they were up to.

"Hunter J's goon Squad." Dawn whispered as she watched the four men come to a halt a few meters in front of them.

"The rest of the team." One of the men said as he stepped out, clearly distinguishing himself as the man in charge. He watched them in amusement as he thought about which tactic to use to contain them.

"The rest?" Dawn asked confused wondering what he could possibly mean by that, but Brock already knew the answer to that. Ash did run into some kind of trouble last night, and now they were staring right in the face of that same trouble.

"Where's Ash?" He yelled out to him in anger.

The lead huntsman smiled upon seeing their response. Clearly they were worried for their friend; perhaps he could use that to his advantage.

"You're coming with us." The lead huntsmen stated matter of factly after a moment. The others behind him smile at his comment as they casually crossed their arms, almost as if it was some kind of joke.

"Fat chance!" Dawn yelled back in defiance as she reached down for one of her pokéballs.

The lead hunter smiled at hearing her response as he edged a little closer towards them. "You might want to reconsider; it may be the only way for you to ever see your friend again." He sneered at them.

Dawn paled a little upon hearing the goon's response. What did they mean by that? Did they have Ash? Is that why they could not find him?

Brock gritted his teeth in frustration at the huntsman. They were bluffing, they had to be. Ash was too good to get caught by the likes of them. He was about to say so when the lead huntsman pulled out a familiar article of clothing.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out as sparks stopped emitting from its cheeks, and a feeling of dread washed over him.

"Ash!" Dawn cried out upon recognizing it.

"Dawn." Brock called out warningly to her, "Pikachu, they don't have him." He said as he thought it through properly. "They need us to get to Ash."

Dawn looked at Brock her eyes filled with uncertainty. She wanted to believe him, but if they did not have him then how come they had his vest?

"Dawn, listen to me." He said as he placed his hands upon her shoulders turning her to look him directly in the eye as Pikachu listened intently to what Brock had to say. "Why would they be hunting us if they already had Ash? They do not have him." He said once again to reassure her and Pikachu then turned his attention back towards the men across from him. "And they won't get him through us!" He said as he threw up a pokéball releasing Crogunk.

"It was worth a try," The lead huntsman sighed to himself as he motioned the others behind him. "Get them!" he demanded as the others behind him responded by throwing up their pokéballs releasing a flock of Crobat.

Pikachu leapt forward next to Crogunk sparks still emitting warningly as the Crobat flew closer. "Dawn!" Brock cried out to her snapping her back to the present.

"Right" she responded as she threw her pokéball in the air releasing Buneary.

The crobat zoomed in all around them as the pokémon fought to defend them. Pikachu launched a massive thunderbolt, but the Crobat were too quick, not to mention the flood waters slowing down their own movement. They easily dodge every attack the trainers called out, and hit the pokémon with their own.

"Dawn we can't keep this up!" Brock yelled out over to her. He knew sooner or later the battle was going to turn in the huntsmen's favor, and they were wasting precious time battling these guys. They had to get back out there and find Ash.

Dawn nodded in agreement. She had been thinking along the same lines. They had to get out of there, but they couldn't just turn and run away. Hunter J's goon squad would chase them all through the forest. They had to lose them somehow, when suddenly Dawn was hit with an idea as she looked at the huntsmen standing ankle deep in the flood waters.

"Buneary!" she cried out to the ice type, "Ice beam at their feet!" She commanded pointing directly at the huntsmen. Buneary responded immediately as she unleashed her most powerful attack at the four men.

The huntsmen cried out in alarm as the water around them froze immediately locking them in place as well as the vehicles behind them. The crobat turned around in confusion to see what had caused their master's distress. (A/N: what can I say freezing things over seems like a common solution for this author!)

"Pikachu now!" Brock called out. Pikachu leaped high in the air above the crobat, and before they knew what was going on, unleashed a powerful thunderbolt taking them out for the count.

"Brock" Dawn exclaimed as she returned her pokémon dashing off in the opposite direction. Brock followed suit as Pikachu leapt back up on his shoulders as he took off after Dawn. The shouts and cries of the huntsmen rang loudly behind him, as he smiled in their small victory.

"That should hold them for awhile!" Dawn happily exclaimed when Brock caught up with her. Brock nodded his agreement returning the smile.

"Good." He said as they ran further and further away from the huntsmen. "Let's go find Ash!"


	5. Not Alone

Chapter 5: Not Alone

A/N: sometimes when you are alone you can become your own worst enemy.

The evening sun glistened on the glittering waters Ash found himself aimlessly wadding through. The haze of twilight pressed down upon him as the shadows grew longer casting mysterious images in his mind; his imagination running wild of images of things awaiting him in the darkness. He knew deep down these were just irrational fears, however there was something to be said about the way he was seeing the world now that he was completely alone.

He gazed upon the waters as the growing shadows danced awkwardly with the remaining light. Time passed slowly and not a sound was heard making the irrational fear seeded in his mind flower by the second. Never in his life had he felt more alone, then in this single moment. Even now he felt isolated from the world as its silence engulfed him and its icy grip held him frozen in his thoughts of despair.

He had to snap out of it. He was thinking too much, something he usually was not accused of, but his thoughts were his only companion as he tracked through the twisted labyrinth of the forest. He had been wondering around, navigating through fallen branches and wadding through the knee deep waters ever since he had woke hoping he could somehow stumble into the others, but now Ash was convinced he only managed to get himself even more lost.

Still, he had to keep moving. He did not like being alone with his thoughts, with the growing shadows of night growing closer. "There's nothing out there." He told himself trying to make himself feel a little better.

"_Nothing except Hunter J's men which for some reason are after you."_ an inner voice thought callously. _ "And somehow just managed to disappear last night while chasing you,"_ It continued _"they could be out there now. Watching. Waiting. "_

Ash shook his head trying to lose the thought, but he knew deep down he was right. He had to keep moving. He had to find Brock, Dawn and Pikachu.

"_But what if you never find them."_ The voice asked. _"What if Hunter J's men got to them? Then you will never see them again. And you will be forever alone." _The voice continued, "_Just like-_

"Just shut up!" Ash angrily yelled out silencing the voice of his fears for the moment. "You're not helping and," Ash paused for a moment then let out a nervous laugh, "and I'm talking to myself. Great."

*snap*

Ash suddenly jerked his head around, to the intrusion. He scanned the area around him, only to find nothing. A deep sinking feeling began to twist in his stomach as he wondered if he had actually heard the noise or if it was his paranoid mind playing tricks on him.

"_Don't look at me"_ his inner voice answered out in defense.

The shadows of the trees grew longer with the fading light as they consumed the forest; casting it into the premature night. The sound could have come from anywhere. There were so many places to hide under the veil of shadows. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, afraid if he took his eyes off the shadows they would only claim him.

Still, there was nothing, and that's what bothered him. Maybe he had imagined the entire thing after all. Realizing he would drive himself crazy if he stood there any longer, Ash decided to press forward, cautiously. After all it was night now, and he had to find somewhere to sleep. Preferably someplace dry.

How he longed for dry feet, and a warm fire. Exhaustion seeped through every bone in his body as he trudged along. His stomach gave a massive growl; thoughts of a warm fire had stirred thoughts of Brock's cooking.

He had been walking for a while now when he finally caught a break. It seemed he had wondered towards some bluffs, and most importantly a spot to sleep where he would actually be dry for a while. Ash nearly ran towards protruding rocks, and clumsily climbed atop of the flattest rock he could find.

Ash let out a small smile, it wasn't much but at least he was out of the water. He peeled off his water logged socks and shoes and laid them out next to him, as he sprawled out on the rough surface. The weather beaten surface grazed his skin releasing the warmth it had absorbed from the sun during the day as Ash gazed at the night sky.

The black silhouettes of the branches pressed against the brilliant moon, making Ash feel as if was looking through bars of a prison. Although he supposed in a way he was. His thoughts once again turned to his friends, wondering where they were, and how much longer he would have to be apart.

It did not take long for his exhaustion to overwhelm him and he fell into an uneasy sleep.

The chilled wind of night brushed against his already damp skin causing him to stir. The warmth once provided by the rock had faded with the night. What little comfort he had earlier he had lost. He woke up in the dead of night shivering. It did not seem fair to him, he felt he had only fallen asleep a few seconds ago, but a glance at the sky told him, it had been a few hours.

He sat up hugging his knees clinging to what little warmth he had left, wondering what he should do next. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he knew there was no way he could. It was still too dark to be wondering around, and he had no idea how much longer until the sun rose. The cold wind cut right through him as he sat there wishing he were still asleep, when he heard it again.

*snap*

Was he hearing things again, or was there something out there? He slowly brought his head up and scanned the area, but once again he saw nothing. His stomach churned with unease as another chill ran down his spine, whether it was from the bitter cold or his fear he had no idea, but he did not like either of them.

He no longer felt safe. Ash listened intently for any signs of what was out there, but was only met with the sounds of the wind rustling the trees. He couldn't stay there. Slowly he reached for his socks and shoes.

*snap*

Ash paused a second time, hands hovering over his shoes. This time he knew for a fact he had heard something, as he turned around a second time, heart pounding in his chest, only to find nothing once again. He did not like it. He scanned the area two more times, knowing that there was something out there; watching him.

A sudden chill shot through him as he became overcome with the desire to get out of there. Ash grabbed his shoes and bolted up, no longer caring it was too dark to wonder about; he had to get out of there when suddenly it bolted out from the shadows.

The massive shadow let out a mighty bellow as it launched itself high into the air directly where Ash was standing. He leapt, desperate to get away, only just as the enormous force landed where he had stood only moments ago. The rock exploded from the impact of the beast as debris rained down atop of him.

Ash tucked and rolled failing to dodge the debris now battering his body as he turned to face the monster from the shadows. The early morning grays played awkwardly off the beast but through it Ash could just make out the outline of a very angry Drapion, just as it sprang back one of its many lethal limbs for another attack.

This time Ash barely dodged it with the water once again working to slow him down. He could feel the rush of wind hit him as the massive claw soared behind him, the force once again making the ground explode.

The muddy waters that littered the forest floor rained down upon Ash as He desperately looked for safety. Behind the poison pokémon Ash caught a glimpse of a crevice; the only trouble was he could possibly be trapping himself. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place; try a rock and one very pissed off Drapion.

Ash's decision was quickly made for him as Drapion lashed out another attack only this time nailing its target. Ash sailed through the air from the force of the blow and was only stopped by a tree, knocking the breath out of him. He gasped for breath and his body cried out in protest as he tried to quickly get up before another attack could land. His vision blurred as he watched the Drapion loom ever closer struggling to get up from his knees, the water constantly struggling against him.

Drapion let out another angry roar as he unleashed another attack to his dazed target. Using whatever strength he could find Ash dashed towards his oncoming attacker, throwing the shoes he had managed to cling onto as a weapon. The water logged projectile nailed the target square in the face causing Drapion to bellow out in frustration, as Ash ignoring the pains jolting through his body pumped his arms even harder heading straight towards the angry poison type. As Drapion's confusion grew Ash's resolve grew stronger, as he inched closer. Drapion bellowed out once more recovering from its state of confusion and its resolve once again on Ash charging right towards him. Just as Drapion pulled back his massive arm for a finishing blow, Ash immediately dropped down skidding beneath the massive pokémon, the momentum of his speed and the muddy waters helping him sail beneath him.

His momentary victory though was cut short as Drapion swung down his tail, just grazing his bare skin as he sailed by. Ash cried out as the sharp edge tore through his tender skin. Drapion twisted it's torso around and took another swing at him. Ash just barely rolled out of the way as the claw crashed down once again a rush of the murky water surged around Ash and pulled him along, as he struggled to keep his head above the water.

Drapion searched around frantically for its target, momentarily lost in the chaos, but quickly found him again as Ash struggled to get up coughing up the rain waters of the last month and a half, and then lunged forward for another attack.

Ash desperately tried to get his bearings through his blurred vision when he could just make out that crevice. He was only a breath away. Not wasting any time Ash made a leap towards the crevice, just barely missing the lethal claws of Drapion.

Ash landed with a thud in the stone chamber, as Drapion's attack shook the rock face. Drapion cried out in frustration when it realized his prey had escaped him. He pounded the walls of the narrow crevice in blind anger trying to get at him.

Ash crept back as Drapion clawed at the entry way blocking all light within, wondering what exactly to do now, and hoping that wall could keep Drapion back when suddenly the whole world began to shake as a loud crashing noise echoed within the cave. Boulders came crashing down pounding Drapion and caving in the entrance.

Ash heard one last cry from the Drapion, and then nothing. His ears still ringing from the loud noises was his only companion as he sat in the dark cavern wondering what exactly he should do next.


	6. A Way Out

Chapter 6: A Way Out

The darkness of the cavern was complete and it was not long before Ash had fallen asleep, and all too soon was pulled back into the world of the conscious. Every muscle of his body burned with exhaustion and newly formed bruises from his encounter with Hunter J's Drapion, and the cut on his arm, although not all that deep, burned as a reminder. Every part of his body screamed for his attention, but Ash was focused on other things.

Ash had no idea of how long he had been out, much less of the where about of Drapion. If Drapion had found him so easily, there was no doubt in his mind that Hunter J's men, or even Hunter J herself would follow suit, but why; the ever looming question.

Ash closed his eyes, well as far as he could tell, and tried to come up with some sort of solution that made some sort of sense. Sure he and his friends had rubbed hunter J the wrong way a few times, but would that warrant such drastic measures? Hunter J's main focus had always been to make a profit; anything else was a waste of time, so why would she be going out of her way to get at him? Nothing made sense, and Ash knew he had more pressing matters to attend to, such as how to get out of here and-

*grumble* His stomach cried out in protest at being empty for so long.

"right" Ash said to himself opening his eyes, when he caught a glimpse of light. Slowly Ash pulled himself from the muck of the cavern floor, the mud holding him almost as an adhesive (A/N: No joke, mud is a very good adhesive, my brother once lost a pair of boots in some really thick mud, in fact he is lucky we managed to pull him out.), and focused on the light determined not to lose sight of it. Once he managed to break free from the mud, he began his trek towards what he hoped was an exit.

Ash had no way of telling how long he had been traveling in the cavern, but it seemed like an eternity. The further he traveled the more cramped his space become until finally he had to get down and belly crawl towards the light. Ash just hoped that this in fact was a way out because he did not believe he could find his way back, never mind that, Ash did not even think he could turn around.

The cold stone walls of the cave pressed in on him as he crept through the sludge towards the growing light. Mud oozed through his fingers, and soaked through his already damped clothing as he inched ever so slowly, ignoring the protests of his already strained body. Hours could have passed by or seconds, Ash had no way of telling in the gloom of the cavern, but all he knew was that he was already here longer than he ever wished to be.

His labored breathing bounced of the enclosed stone walls and rang in his ears. Aside from the light at the end, the darkness was complete and the feeling of loneliness came creeping back into his thoughts.

"_What if I can't get out?" _Ash unwillingly thought to himself. His heart began to beat madly in his chest resonating off the stone walls. Was he even getting any closer towards the light? Suddenly the cold walls seemed to press in even closer and the darkness engulfed him, the light at the end seemed to grow smaller.

His heart pounded even harder as Ash became overwhelmed by the desire to get out. Panic driven he quickly pulled himself forward towards the diminishing light to try and reach it, when he suddenly realized he could not move.

Fear surged through him when he realized he was stuck as he cried out in distress. Ash desperately tried again to crawl forward but the result was the same, his body surged with adrenaline clouding his mind so he could not even stop to think properly. He did not even know what part of him was stuck, only that he was.

The stone walls grazed his skin as he struggled to move any way at this point, as he cried out again knowing no one was going to hear him. In one last attempt Ash wrenched forward but only managed to smack the back of his head against the low ceiling of the cave. The jolt of pain surged through him just enough for him to snap out of his panic.

Slowly he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh in an attempt to calm his racing heart. After what seemed like an eternity Ash calmed down, and opened his eyes once again to find the light just as it had been before he started panicking. Finally thinking clearly, Ash turned his foot after realizing it had caught preventing him from moving.

Once again he struggled forward towards the light more determined to reach it, and to keep calm. With a new resolve the light from the opening began to grow larger as Ash inched closer until finally the light broke through the cave nearly blinding him.

The afternoon sun greeted him warmly as he managed to pull himself completely out of the dark crevice just big enough for him to fit through and found himself on a rock-strewn ledge overlooking a rushing river below. The welcoming sounds were welcome to Ash's ears after being plunged in the black of silence for what seemed like forever.

Ash let out a relieved sigh grateful that that whole ordeal was done and over with. Attentively he looked around his new surroundings figuring he better figure out where he was and where he should go next. He was already lost before he decided to go spelunking, now he was beyond lost.

The ledge the cave had come out at was not that far up from the river, but it was still quite a distance to be cautious, not to mention the many rocks protruding out of the drop off. The river its self looked harsh, as the current ripped through the valley below around the many rocks. Further down the current coursed beneath many rocks. Traveling the river path could be dangerous, and Ash felt that he should really avoid that direction if he wanted to avoid being carried away even further in the land of lost.

Further up the ledge Ash could just make out the summit. It did not look as if it would be a difficult climb, but still it would be challenging enough considering he was already sore and tired, not to mention starving at this point.

Ash propped his back up against the nearest rock and let out a deep sigh. He closed his eyes as he absorbed the warmth of the sun drying out the layers of mud caked all over. Ash laughed to himself wondering if he even had any clean spots not caked with mud, scratches or bruises. His stomach gave another low grumble to remind him he had not eaten in quite some time. "Like I need to be reminded of that." Ash laughed to himself.

As good as it felt to sit there and soak in the inviting rays of the sun; Ash knew he had to push on while it was still light out. He had to find the others. Mind made up, Ash pulled himself up, every muscle protesting in moving so soon, and set his sights on his new path.

Elsewhere:

Salamence glided easily through the cool breeze as the greenery rushed by far below. The wind whipped through Hunter J's hair as she rode Salamence transfixed on her display screen, as it gave her a reassuring beep indicating that Drapion was nearby.

"It won't be long now." J said more to herself as they grew closer the Drapion's location. The tracking machine gave a whirling beep causing the hunter to nudge Salamence. Salamence responded immediately as he descended towards the forest below until they found themselves ankle deep in the murky waters. (the water has gone down…)

The hunter jumped gracefully from the dragon pokémon's back and landed with a loud splash in the eerily quiet forest. The entire area seemed determined to not make a sound in her presence sensing her ill intent. The hunter scanned the immediate area, and then studied her tracking system.

"Right." She said as she closed the device perched upon her arm, and dug out one of her pokéballs.

"Salamence return." She said as a red beam hit Salamence returning him to his pokéball. After securing the pokéball she coolly triggered her glasses to thermal mode. The cool colors of the forest flooded her vision when off in the far distance she caught sight if something promising.

The water churned beneath her boots as she made her way towards what she assumed was her Drapion. The terrain gradually began to change as she grew closer to her target. Rocks were scattered about away from the rocky outcropping protruding from the earth, and towering over the forest below. It did not take her long to find Drapion. Anger began to surge through her again as she took in the sight of her precious poison pokémon.

J pulled out the pokéball from her pocket and without a word retrieved the pokémon from beneath the pile of boulders lying atop of it. After placing the pokéball back J activated the com nesting in her ear.

"What's the status of the secondary targets?" She demanded as she scanned the area thoroughly with her thermal glasses.

The hunter was met by a moment of silence when, "Still have not located the targets sir." a hesitant voice finally answered back over the comm. The hunter made her way towards the pile of boulders her brow furrowed as she took in the information

"Why does that not surprise me?" She spat back at him, when she noticed the crevice opening blocked by the boulders.

"Sir, we're working on it." the goon answered his voice a little strained, "We will have them by the end of the day." reassuring the hunter.

"Just do it." She replied irritated as she switched off the comm. and began to climb her way towards the crevice. She studied the opening intently as she squat down. The opening was not big enough for her to fit through, but the hunter knew that Salamence could easily shift the boulders. The hunter paused a moment as a fresh breeze from the opening brushed through her hair.

_No need to waste my time_ she thought to herself. Sure she could easily get into the opening but there was no doubt in her mind the target was long gone by now. The hunter pulled the Nav. device from her left arm and attached it to her cannon.

She opened the cannon casing and after taping a few keys took aim at the opening. She stood there a few moments as sonic waves shot from the barrel and bounced back mapping out the interior of the cave on her Nav. Once the complete interior was mapped J examined it carefully, and just as she suspected there were alternate exits.

"And once again the Brat boy not only succeeds where others have failed, but is also incredibly lucky." She mumbled to herself as she put the devices away and reset the cannon settings to the paralysis setting.

Quickly she stood up as she reached into her pockets once again pulling out another pokéball.

"Ariados" She called out as she threw the pokéball in the air releasing the dark bug type from its pokéball.

"Aria" It greeted as it extended its front legs out.

"Scout ahead and see if you can slow our friend the Brat," She said pointing over the rock face.

Without another word Ariados scuttled up the rocky wall and disappeared over the ledge. Digging out Salamence's pokéball again, she released the ferocious dragon type and jumped on. Salamence beat its red wings creating a huge gust launching them back in the air, and set off after Ariados.


	7. In the Hunter's Grasp

Chapter 7: In the Hunter's Grasp

(A/N: don't you hate it when you barely make it out of one pinch, and then the next door you open there is like twenty more zombies waiting to attack? Sorry Ash, like resident evil you don't get to stay in a safe spot for that long until six t-virus Lickitung are upon you or worse the regeneradors *creepy breathing*.)

With one last heave Ash pulled himself up over the ledge, he had finally made it to the top of the cliff. He let out a relieved sighed as he gaze down at the trek he had just climb. The river might not have been far from the ledge he had come out at, but from up here it looked to be miles away.

His sore body screamed out at him to take a break, as he sat there panting from his efforts. He really did not know how much longer he could continue on at this pace, although he supposed as long as he did not have to crawl through any more caves, or climb any more cliffs he could manage.

Ash took another deep breath as he braced himself to continue on. Slowly he pulled himself up from where he sat and scanned the area trying to determine which way to go next. He was pretty sure he would want to double back the way he had crawled through the cavern, pretty confident that his friends were somewhere back there.

Ash took off walking towards the direction he believed he had previously crawled from, grateful that up here he was not traipsing through water. The afternoon hours passed as Ash walked on, and still he had not found the initial entrance to the cave. He thought in amazement when he began to realize just how long he had been in that cave, and how far he had actually crawled.

He gazed up at the late afternoon sky grateful that at least this time he was making this journey above ground. The gentle breeze ruffled his mud covered hair, and whisked through the branches of the trees all around him and for the first time a feeling of ease settled over him. Ash knew deep down that he should not let his guard down, but he relished a moment of peace and could not help himself as he closed his eyes letting the feeling flood through him as a smile began to play across his lips.

*snap*

The sound cut through Ash like a knife, ringing loudly in his ears. Fear coursed through him, as he realized that once again he was no longer alone. The once peaceful setting had once again morphed into a dangerous hiding place for monsters lurking in the many shadows casted by the trees. This time Ash wasted no time, he quickly bolted in any direction that would take him away from there. Moments later the familiar form of the Hunter's dark bug type came bolting out of the trees swinging on its web directly to where Ash had been standing moments ago.

Ash once again found himself running, as Ariados leapt from tree to tree giving chase. The trees blurred past him as he dashed desperate to get away. Adrenaline coursed through him clouding his mind as he frantically tried to come up with some kind of plan. His eyes darted ahead quickly assessing the area but kept coming up with nothing except to get away.

Suddenly the tree to the right of him exploded with the blast of a shadow ball (night shade). Ash quickened his pace even still but knew he could not keep up this pace, and it would only be a matter of time until Hunter J's Ariados caught up to him, and he could not let that happen.

He had to do something. He turned a sharp left just as another attack came sailing past his head, his bare feet slapping the forest floor with vengeance as they carried him as fast as they could.

Ash glanced back only to find Ariados nearly on top of him. He quickly dropped down and rolled just narrowly avoiding a full out tackle, and was quickly on his feet again pivoting away from Ariados knowing he would have to come up with a better plan.

But the chance never came as Ariados launched a string shot directly towards him. Ash cried out as the cold webbing wrapped around his ankle. Ariados pulled back on the strand stopping Ash in his tracks as he pitched forward falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Ash cried out again as the webbing tightened even further cutting into his ankle as he continued to fight the dark bug type. He clawed desperately at the ground, fingers digging deeply into the surface of the earth trying to halt his progression, but the massive spider easily pulled him closer. Inch by agonizing inch Ariados pulled him closer until he within striking distance.

Ariados clicked its pinchers together as it raised one of its many legs to strike, but Ash took the bug completely by surprise as he rolled over and kicked the bug type in the face. Ariados shrieked in pain dropping its hold on Ash as it clutched its face where a muddy foot print now resided momentarily blinding the bug. Seizing his opportunity Ash quickly grabbed the excess web and dashed off once again.

His feet hammered the ground as he dashed away when suddenly the distant cry of a salamence filled the sky above. The wind stirred uneasily as a new feeling of dread pressed down upon him making it harder to breath. Exhaustion began seep into his already strained muscles as he pushed himself even harder. The sounds of Salamence could only mean one thing and Ash did not really think he was up for a standoff against the hunter. Ready or not salamence dove down from its position, gathering speed as it flew straight for Ash.

Ash barely dropped down in time as the massive dragon type zoomed over his head. The trees bent over in protest as the air rushed past them and Ash as he shielded himself from the gust. Ash slowly stood after the wind had died down only to find Salamence hovering right before him, and on top of the Salamence stood none other than Hunter J.

Every instinct in his body screamed for him to keep on running, but his body stood frozen on the spot as he glared at the hunter defiantly, as the hunter merely stared down at the boy, her gaze locked on his as she waited for him to make his next move.

"Time's up." The hunter chided as she glared down at the boy, but Ash did not respond as he stood there. His heart still racing as his gaze locked on the hunter waiting in anticipation.

The cool breeze of the evening brushed past them as they both stood captivated, neither of them flinching in the least waiting for the other to make a move, waiting for the slightest opportunity to gain the upper hand.

"Enough" The hunter finally said after what seemed like an eternity, and raised her cannon aiming directly at Ash. Ash was completely taken by surprise as she fired her cannon towards him. He didn't know what exactly he expected from the hunter but for some reason he had a hard time accepting that he was actually the intended target. Ash barely leapt out of the way in time, narrowly dodged becoming a statue for the hunter.

The hunter groaned in annoyance as every instinct screamed out at Ash to run. She took aim again, only this time Ash did not wait around for target practice. He took off clutching the webbing from Ariados running awkwardly with it still wrapped around his ankle.

A small smile played across the lips of the hunter as she watched the target flee. _The brat still had some fight left in him, now the real hunt had begun_ the hunter thought to herself as she nudged Salamence. The dragon type beat its massive red wings launching them into the air and after the boy.

The wind rushed past Ash as he darted through the tangled mess of the forest for what seemed like the hundredth time, but unlike the times before Ash was confident him running was not going to get him very far. He dared a glance behind but regretted it immediately when he caught sight of the hunter nearly upon him.

"Salamence, Hyper Beam!" The hunter cried out, as the dragon type summoned the power from within, launching it towards him. Ash dove as the powerful beam of energy hit the tree a few feet ahead of him and exploded. A loud crack filled the air as the tree snapped at the base and came crashing down in a blaze of fire blocking his escape.

Ash lay before the burning tree shielding himself from the intense flames as they licked the damp air quickly spreading to the other trees despite all the moisture the forest contained. From the corner of his eye he caught the movement of Ariados in the trees back in the hunt.

Ariados sailed through the air above him as it launched another shadow ball. Ash tucked his arms in as he rolled out of the way of the attack using the momentum to get back up.

The fire sizzled and smoked behind him as he eyed the three hunters before him effectively cutting off his escape. (A/N: ha let's see you get yourself out of that :P) Ash clenched his fists in determination, this was not going to end like this, and Ash would make sure of that. Hunter J would not win, no matter what her purpose was.

New found vigor coursed through his body fueling his resolve, as he squeezed the webbing even tighter, when suddenly he was struck with an idea.

Hunter J wasted no time though as she raised her cannon again aiming at Ash, as Ariados formed another shadow ball and launched it towards him. Time seemed to slow down as the shadow ball crawled closer towards him. Realizing now was his chance Ash dove towards the stick not far from where he stood, and rolled back up just as the attack was nearly on him. With one mighty swing Ash deflected the attack sending it hurtling back towards Salamence.

Hunter J cried out in alarm as Salamence jerked suddenly to avoid the attack causing her to fall off, and by pure luck on Ash's part, right in the path of the Shadow Ball. The hunter cried out in pain upon impact as she was flung back, and hit the ground hard shattering her glasses.

Upon watching his master take the hit, Ariados launched itself towards Ash out of pure rage, but Ash was too quick as he easily rolled out of the way and ran off towards the opening created, fiddling with the webbing still wrapped around his ankle forming a loop at the end.

Anger and humiliation surged through the hunter as she picked herself up off the ground. She threw her shattered glasses off her face as she watched the boy slip from her grasp. "After him!" she practically screamed at the two pokémon as they stood around waiting for her command.

Immediately Salamence and Ariados took off after him. The brat would pay for her humiliation Hunter J was certain of that.(A/N: Ash may not make it the client if Hunter J succeeds in catching him cause I think by now she definitely is going to kill him lol. Go Ash!)

Ash on the other hand had other plans as he raced through the forest back the way he had come earlier towards the river. A loud explosion filled the air as a tree to the left of him exploded from another Shadow ball. Ash glanced behind to find Ariados and Salamence on his heels.

Salamence bellowed as it unleashed a flamethrower attack. The flames roared as they sailed through the air towards their target, but failed to hit their mark as Ash quickly altered his path out of harm's way ducking and weaving through the tangled mess he had fought through earlier until he was once again overlooking the rushing river.

He glanced back again in time to see the two pokémon closing in on him, and before he could really think about what he was doing, Ash leapt into the air. The two pokémon halted and watched in disbelief as he sailed through the air. His arms and legs flailing as he tried to remain upright as he fell towards the harsh waters below.

He hit the ice cold waters with massive force as it surged around him taking his breath away. He kicked hard to break through the surface, but the river fought against his every move. The current tossed him every which way smashing him into the many rocks lining the river.

Ash finally surfaced coughing up the water from his lungs as he tried to get his bearings, when he caught a glimpse of exactly what he was looking for just before the river pulled him under again. Knowing he was close, Ash took the webbing still around his ankle and looped around one of the many rocks he had managed to smash into. He released the webbing in his hands as the river continued to pull him roughly downstream. Ash gritted his teeth as the webbing pulled tightly around his ankle securing him in place under the cover of a rock ledge.

Ash broke through to the surface gasping for breath as he desperately clawed at the low rock ceiling for a hold, as the water continued to pummel him. He lost his grip as the current pulled him back under, but the webbing secured him beneath the rock, and Ash fought his way back to the surface. His hands clawed at the rock ceiling until Ash finally found a hold. The water continued to rush past him trying to carry him further downstream, but Ash held on with all the strength he could muster.

High above Salamence and Ariados watched on as the river pulled their target downstream, until he vanished. Hunter J shortly joined their side overlooking the rushing river below. Angrily she scanned further down the river for any signs of the target but failed to find any. She screamed out as all the frustrations coursed through her as she turned on her pokémon.

"You let him get away!" she screamed at them as they hung their heads. "Return" she spat as she pointed Ariados pokéball at him, returning him. The hunter climbed on to the back of the dragon type and kicked it a little harder than necessary to take off.

"He's bound to wash up somewhere downstream," She told the pokémon. "Fly low and slow, he's bound to turn up." Salamence gave a mighty roar as it took off towards the rushing waters.

Beneath the rock Ash desperately struggled to hold on. He had to wait until hunter J was gone from the area. He knew this would be a risky plan, but if he succeeded the hunter would believe that the current carried him further downstream. While she wasted her time looking for him down stream, Ash could find his friends and get out of this mess. He really had taken a gamble with this move but he had to get away, and he had to hold on cause he did not think he could fight his way back up towards the surface a third time.

The cold water rushed around him, zapping whatever strength he had mustered, but Ash still held on. A loud shriek echoed beneath the stone roof causing Ash to turn his head to peak out from his hiding place. The forms of Salamence and Hunter J flooded his vision much to his relief as he watched them disappear further down the river. A small smile spread across his lips as Ash watched them vanish from sight. He waited ten more minutes to make sure they would not double back on him, and when they did not Ash went to work.

With one giant heave Ash lifted his bounded ankle out of the water and began to rub it against the rough surface of the rock over hang. After many attempts the rock finally cut through the webbing and Ash was free. The cold water rushing around his sore ankle was a major relief to Ash as he fought even harder to hold onto the rock, as his extra support was cut away.

Ash carefully looked for his next hold as he tried to fight against the current to get out from beneath the rock. His entire body was numb and his fingers were nearly useless as he tried to get a hold on the rock, but determination drove him on, until finally he was out. With one more heave, Ash pulled himself up out of the river and collapsed on the rock that had concealed him in complete exhaustion.

He laid there panting, his muscles burned as his body shook with shivers. New bruises screamed out at him from his little river ride. His ankle throbbed where the webbing had begun to cut into his skin, and the scratch from Drapion's claw began to burn angrily. The weight of his soaking wet clothes pressed down upon him making him feel ten times heavier then he really was. Ash wanted nothing more than to lay here and rest, but he knew he couldn't.

Thoughts of his friends seemed to sober him up as he slowly peeled himself up off the rock. He had to find them. With one more glance in the direction Hunter J had disappeared, Ash hobbled off in the complete opposite direction.


	8. A Cold Trail

Chapter 8: A Cold Trail

A/N: A short chapter, but an important one. And fair warning this is chapter 8 and as of now up to chapter 11 is completely finished. I mean I have lots of stuff written but my writing style means that none of it is connected in a linear story line that makes much sense yet except to me, just ask my editor. Anyways just a fair warning that I may stop posting for a while due to the fact this story is incomplete.

The evening hours began to sink in as the four continued their search for their missing friend. The party traveled on in silence still cautious of the hunting party that may be trailing them even though it had been many hours since they last encountered them. Dawn was even willing to bet it was safe to say they had succeeded in losing them. Unfortunately in the process they had also succeeded in getting themselves lost. They had no idea where they were in relation to the cave they had stayed at the night before.

Although Dawn supposed that silence from the hunters could also mean they had succeeded in finding Ash, and simply did not need them anymore. Dawn felt a little offended that the huntsmen were only after Ash, after all she and Brock did play a role in disrupting Hunter J's business. But she only felt that way for a moment when she got to thinking about Ash and how he was fairing.

Her thoughts brought up more questions until finally she had to voice them. "Why would Hunter J be after Ash?" Dawn asked breaking the silence that had settled around them.

"I don't know." Brock admitted. Truth is he had been pondering that exact same thing. "I mean, I suppose Ash has been bad for business."

"Do you think hunter J is trying to get Ash out of her way?" Dawn asked again, although something about this statement seemed off.

"Could be," Brock answered, "but we can figure this out all later after we find Ash. Whatever the reasoning I think it is safe to say that Ash is in way over his head, and he is going to need our help."

Dawn nodded in response to Brock as she glanced around where they now stood. "Ash could be anywhere." she pointed out, "If he ran into the goons the other night who knows which direction he took off in."

"Right, so now the question becomes how do we locate Ash?" Brock replied scanning the area they were now standing in. They were so deep in the tangled flooded valley they hadn't the slightest idea of where they were let along an idea of where Ash might be.

"If we follow Hunter J's men, perhaps they will lead us to Ash." Dawn suggested

"So let me get this straight," Brock said trying to clarify what exactly Dawn was suggesting. "You want us to track the guys, who are tracking us…"

"Precisely." Dawn replied happily not understanding where the confusion was coming from.

"Dawn-

"Pikachu pi?" Pikachu cut in from Brock's shoulder pointing off in the distant above the tree line.

"Piplup pi!" Piplup responded as he too noticed.

"Or," Brock began catching sight of what had caught the pokémon's attention, "we could just follow that."

Dawn turned her attention to see what the others had seen when she saw the smoke bellowing high above the trees. Forest fires seemed highly unlikely after all that rain, it had to be Ash, she thought to herself.

"Cause where there's smoke there's Ash." Dawn exclaimed causing Brock to roll his eyes at the pun.

"Get it?" She asked.

"chu…" the yellow rodent eyed her peculiarly.

"Yeah I get it," Brock sighed as he picked up his bag, and Ash's bag again, "be sure to tell that one to Ash when we find him." He added setting off in the direction of the smoke with the others in tow.

Slowly they made their way towards the bellowing smoke. Dawn's nerves were on end constantly thinking of what they would find once they got there. Would they even find him there? What if Hunter J got to him first? She had to get her mind out of this endless loop of worst case scenario. She looked up at Brock not far ahead of her wondering if these thoughts had crossed his mind as well.

She couldn't really tell what emotions Brock was experiencing aside from love at first sight. For the most part Brock hid his emotions pretty well. Her thoughts suddenly turned towards the story Brock had told the other day before they had ran into the goon squad.

"Does he know?" Dawn asked curiously thinking back to their earlier conversation.

"Does who know what?" Brock responded tossing a glance back at Dawn as he continued forward.

"Ash." Dawn replied as if it were obvious, who else would she be talking about? "Does he know how much you value his friendship?"

Brock stopped in his tracks to turn his full attention back to Dawn. "Don't you think that is a little personal?" he asked wondering what had brought this on.

"Sorry." Dawn apologized realizing that it was a little personal, and she shouldn't be really prying into Brock's friendship with Ash. She was just curious, but like many people say some doors aren't meant to be open, at least not by her. Dawn casted her eyes downwards refusing to meet Brock's gaze, embarrassed by her curiosity.

"That's alright." Brock finally said after a moment before he turned around and traveled on. Brock threw a glance up towards Pikachu nestled upon his shoulder deep in thought. Maybe he shouldn't have shot down her question, now they seemed to be travelling in an awkward silence yet again. Dawn was probably just trying to calm her worried thoughts. Brock let out a deep sigh as he opened his mouth to speak, but was beaten by Dawn.

"It's just I wonder if he knows how much I value our friendship, or if I should tell him." Dawn began, her eyes glued to the ground as she nestled Piplup a little closer. "I mean, without you and Ash, who knows where I would have ended up on my journey. Ash's spark keeps me going when I want to give up on my dreams and go home."

Brock listened as Dawn continued to pour out her feelings to him.

"Am I taking this friendship for granted?" She asked as she stopped looking up to Brock for an answer.

Brock turned around once he realized she was no longer following him and took in her saddened eyes. "Dawn what has brought this on?" He asked in concern as he walked back towards her.

"It's just," she paused a moment trying to collect her thoughts. Truth was she missed him, more than she cared to admit (A/N: oh lord is that a hint of pearlshipping? See it as you want). The way she felt when they were all together was something she had been taking for granted this entire journey together. Without him she felt empty, incomplete. She did not like these new feelings surfacing and began to wonder how much longer they all had together until they parted ways. Dawn looked at Brock as he patiently waited for her to continue, but she couldn't voice them.

"It's nothing." She said as she began walking once again. Pikachu and Brock exchanged worried looks as she walked by them closing the conversation she had started. Brock followed after her, uncertain of whether or not he should try to figure out what exactly that was all about but failed to voice his concern. The two traveled on a while in silence as each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Not liking where Dawn's thoughts were taking her she was determined to focus her mind on something else. She locked her gaze intently on the billowing cloud of smoke marking their destination. They were lucky that they now had at least a general direction to travel in. Ash on the other hand, had no such luck. If he had run into hunter J's goon squad the other night during that storm, Ash probably had no idea where he was running except away from danger.

_If only there was a way for them to let Ash know where they were_. Dawn thought to herself as she studied the smoke, when suddenly it hit her.

"Wait!" Dawn suddenly cried out in realization causing the others to stop dead in their tracks. "Brock why didn't we think of this before!" She continued as she slapped herself on the forehead for being so stupid.

"Pip?" The penguin pokémon called out to his trainer in concern upon seeing her distress.

"What is it Dawn?" Brock asked curiously watching her as she set Piplup down.

"Brock, Draco Meteor!" She finally said as she rushed over towards Ash's backpack and began rummaging through his stuff, until she found Gible's Pokéball.

"Pi?" Pikachu cocked its head wondering what Dawn was on about.

"Dawn?" Brock began but was cut off by Dawn.

"Gible we need your help!" She cried out as she threw the pokéball in the air releasing Gible.

"Gible?" It finally said in confusion upon not finding Ash or rather not finding Ash's head to munch on.

"Brock we can use Gible's Draco meteor to signal to Ash where we are." she explained.

"Pip lup!" Piplup cried out as it turned white at the mentioning of Draco meteor.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed excitedly.

"It's a great idea Dawn except not only would we be signaling Ash, but Hunter J's goon squad as well." Brock pointed out.

"pip." Piplup sighed discouraged.

"Brock, Ash could be anywhere." Dawn countered, "By the time we reach the source of the smoke who knows what direction he wondered off in. We have no choice."

Brock thought about what Dawn had said already knowing she was right and they really had no choice. "Alright," He finally said, "We'll just have to deal with the goon squad, when they find us. The important thing is to find Ash."

"Pi ka!"

"Gible."

"Piplup!" the pokémon all voice the agreement.

"Alright Gible," Dawn said as she turned her attention towards the ground type, "Draco Meteor!" she called out as she pointed to the sky.

"Giiiiiiibbbblllllleee" the pokémon began as it began to focus its dragon type powers in the center of its body building up the powerful attack until he launched it high in the sky. The brilliant lights of the Draco meteor stood out starkly against the evening sky as it lit the entire area alerting everyone to their location.

Far off in the distant the familiar attack caught the sight of Ash as he watched it plummet back to the earth. "That's Gible's Draco Meteor!" he jumped up excitedly suddenly feeling refreshed. His friends were nearby, and that was enough to carry him through.

Much further downstream the hunter's frustration grew even more as their search turned up nothing. She had traveled along the river for quite some time and found no sign of the brat meaning he either drowned or was behind her.

"Salamence." She began but was cut short by the orange fireball adorning the late evening sky. She watched in deep thought as it plummeted back down to the earth quite some distance away.

"Foot squad." She said as she triggered her ear piece once again, "report."

"Sir" a voice chimed in over the radio, "that wasn't us." Just as the hunter expected the flash of light had to be either the brat himself of the secondary targets, either way heading in that direction would assure her of eventually finding the primary target.

"We were just about to proceed to the signal." The voice continued.

Hunter J scoffed at hearing this, "Don't bother," She commanded "prep the vehicle and be ready for transport." She finished as she cut off her ear piece once again. Giving Salamence one more nudge as they both rode off in the direction of the ball of light. (A/N: I don't know why but I always enjoy the stories where your friends try to help you but only mange to make things worse, I guess that is because that is always what happens to me, sorry Ash)

Meanwhile back under the less than Draco meteor the tiny penguin pokémon panicked as the meteor came straight for it.

"PIPLUP!" He cried out in alarm as he desperately tried to avoid the impending conk on the head.

"Piplup return." Dawn said as the red beam snatched Piplup away just in time. "Better stay in there until we are done using Draco Meteor." She told him as she pocketed the pokéball.

"Good thinking." Brock commented.

"Gible." Gible agreed, to which Dawn gave a nod.

"Let's go!" Brock exclaimed as they all made their way once again towards the smoke.


	9. Standoff

Chapter 9: Standoff

(A/N: I think this by far is my favorite chapter, but seeing as I have more to write can I really say this?)

Ash's ankle throbbed dully from where the web had been wrapped around his ankle as he continued to hobble towards where he last saw the Draco meteor. His eyes never lost sight, as he fixed on the location. His friends were there he just knew it, and soon he would find them and get out of this mess together.

The brisk night air rushed past his damp skin causing him to shiver, but thoughts of being reunited with his friends kept his heart warm. He did not know how long or far he had been walking since the river fiasco but Ash was willing to bet that Hunter J figured out by now that he had not washed downstream.

He listened carefully for any signs of her, knowing it was only a matter of time until she found him again, but Ash was hoping that his stunt had bought him enough time. He hobbled on as exhaustion seeped through every bone of his body begging him to stop. His eye lids grew heavy as the night hours grew longer, but Ash fought the pull of sleep, determined not to rest until he found his friends.

Despite his determination, his exhaustion was greater, and the pull of sleep finally won as he collapsed in exhaustion, crashing to the ground once again. The trees towered over him covering him from the sky above as not much further away the familiar form of Salamence soared through the night.

The hunter on its back scanned the area carefully searching for the target. She groaned in frustration missing her specialized glasses. Surely with thermal vision this search would go a lot faster, but the brat saw an end to that she bitterly thought.

Hunter J nudged Salamence once more crying out as he dropped lower to the tree tops flying even slower. The cry of Salamence echoed hollowly through the trees stirring the sleeping figure below with a start.

Ash bolted up, recognizing immediately the salamence. He scanned the sky looking for any signs of them, while he berated himself for slipping off to sleep. The cry echoed again causing Ash's heart to pound. They were so close. The hunter must have also seen Gible's attack, making his ploy invalid. Of course she would figure it out, Ash had just been hoping not as fast.

Salamence cried out again, this time closer than ever. The pounding of Ash's heart beat loudly; they were almost on top of him. What should he do? Would they be able to see him under the cover of the trees? He sat there a moment trying to figure out his next move when suddenly a beam of energy shot down from seemingly nowhere hitting the tree next to him turning it to stone.

Ash looked up just in time to see the broken shadows of Salamence through the trees. Fear consumed him, as he realized she had found him again. He bolted up ignoring his aches and pains once again as he took off running pushing himself harder than ever before.

Hunter J grinned madly when she saw his running form below her. She leapt from the back of Salamence gathering speed as she fell. Her aim was precise as the heel of her boot darted straight into the back of the unsuspecting target.

Ash cried out more in surprise as the force of the Hunter came barreling down upon him sending him crashing to the ground. The hunter held him down under her boot, her heel digging painfully into his back as he struggled to get away.

"You're going to pay for that last stunt," she began as she brought her cannon up to take aim at his back, but was cut short when she suddenly lost her footing as Ash managed to throw her off. He quickly scrambled to his feet just as the hunter regained her composure her weapon directly aimed at his heart.

"No more games." the hunter began as she locked on the target, "Only one of us will be walking away today." Ash clenched his fists as the hunter continued to talk, if she wanted to talk that was perfectly fine with him, it bought him time. Carefully he scanned the area looking for anything, but his concentration was broken by all the pains screaming out from his body demanding attention. His latest run through the woods had left him panting, and he had yet to catch his breath, in addition, Ash was pretty sure he would now a foot print shaped bruise on his back to add to the list of aches and pains.

Even if he wanted to runaway Ash didn't think he could muster up the strength to get very far, no his only chance to get away would be to somehow defeat the hunter, but he needed something, anything to give him an edge. Try as hard as he might though, Ash kept coming up empty as his search came up with nothing. His attention was once again directed at the woman before him holding him at the barrel of her cannon, when suddenly he had the craziest idea.

The hunter smiled as she watched the boy before her scanning the area for a window. She was not about to let him have another opportunity, it was time to make him pay for humiliating her. She rushed forward taking him completely by surprise, lashing out with her fist catching Ash in the stomach.

He stumbled back trying to catch his breath when suddenly the hunter landed a kick in the chest sending him flying back. Ash cried out in pain as he landed with a sick thud, a new flood of pain coursing through him.

He laid there stunned trying to catch his breath as the hunter bared down on him, her cannon pointing directly in his face. Not done yet, Ash took a deep breath and kicked hunter's arm deflecting the cannon as it discharged harmlessly above him. J cried out in pain clenching her arm as she stumbled back from the force of the kick as he leapt up launching himself towards the hunter catching her completely by surprise.

She could not believe after all the brat had been through he still had this much fight left in him, when suddenly she realized he was trying to get her weapon. This was a desperate play to get the upper hand, but the hunter would have none of that. She tried to push him back, but his resolve was strong.

She raised her weapon high in the air in an attempt to keep it out of his reach and fend him off with her other hand, but he easily brushed aside her defending arm as he clasped her arm containing the weapon. He pulled with all the strength he could muster and slowly it came down towards him.

Hunter J began to panic as slowly but surely the boy pulled the weapon closer and closer, as her efforts to fend him off were brushed aside, but she was just as determined as he was.

It was almost in reach as his fingers barely grazed the smooth surface of weapon. If he could just get a hold of it he could use it as leverage to get away or something, but the hunter would not have any of it as she pushed him away.

They struggled back and forth both determined to not let the other over power one another when finally the hunter's arm fell well within his grasp. Ash pulled closer to his body as he moved to remove the weapon when J cried out in panic realizing the boy was getting the upper hand.

"No!" She screamed out at him furious as she drew her hand back and unleashed a powerful backhanded slap (A/N: yes Ash just got b**** slapped) knocking him back. While he was stunned the hunter swiftly spun around unleashing a powerful kick nailing Ash square in the chest. Ash cried out from the impact as he sailed through the air like a rag doll and with a sickening thud as he finally came to a stop.

His body screamed out in protest as he once again struggled to get up, but his arms collapsed beneath his weight, his body screaming out enough. His exhaustion from the past few days had finally caught up with him, as he weakly wiped the trickle of blood on the corner of his mouth.

(A/N: usually I stay away from writing bloody scenes in pokémon, but I feel that this is a darker story, and hopefully I will not stray too far away and it is not much)

A smile began to play across the hunters lips as she watched him in amusement. Confidently she strode over to where he laid struggling to once again get up but before he could even get up to his knees the hunter harshly kicked him back to the ground. Ash cried out in pain as he once again crashed to the ground.

Hunter J laughed in amusement as yet again the boy slowly struggled to pick himself up off the ground, but she decided to save him the trouble as she strode over towards him and rolled him over on his back placing her boot upon his chest pinning him to the ground.

Ash laid there panting with the weight of the hunter pressing down on him as he struggled to catch his breath. The hunter gave another snort as she looked down on the pathetic boy defiance still burning in his eyes. This was it, the moment that would claim her dominance once again.

"I don't know what Gareth wants with you," she said as she raised her cannon once again, "but I hope you suffer greatly." The words the hunter had spoken stopped Ash's weak attempts to break free. _Gareth?_ So many questions flooded his mind under the heel of the hunter, but they were never voiced and he could only look up at her in confusion. Before he could even blink the hunter fired.

Time slowed down as the energy beam crawled closer and closer, until the beam finally hit its intended target. Ash cried out as the cold stone material slowly spread from his chest throughout his entire body, until he was completely encased. The world around him began to fade. The light, the sounds, the smells, until all there was, was the blackness. Its massive reaches spreading far and wide, engulfing him until his own thoughts and feelings became no more.

"Mission accomplished." The hunter smugly said to herself as she gazed down at the frozen expression on the boy's face.

(A/N: I would just like to take the time to point out that I am under the impression that while encase in the stone or whatever, the subject is fully aware of its surroundings but simply cannot act, but in this case our subject is so worn and what not he simply passes out. Also please don't hate me for the cliff hanger:) )


	10. As Daylight Dies

Chapter 10: As Daylight Dies

(A/N: alright I gave fair warning, after this do not expect any updates for awhile. Chapter 12 is complete only problem is chapter 11 and the rest are not. )

Night had finally fallen on the weary travelers but they trudged on knowing that they were close to the source of the smoke. Despite their will to carry on, Brock knew they would soon have to stop for the night. He was just about to suggest it when a sudden noise tore through the silence.

Brock and Dawn squat down for cover, fearful of being seen by what they knew was hunter J's men returned once again. Brock raised his fingers to his lips indicating for them to be quite as he carefully crawled through the brush. Not far away sat two vehicles circled around Salamence and Hunter J herself. Good thing they had stopped or they might have run straight into the hunter. Brock carefully examined the hunter's appearance. She looked a little disheveled; her usual clean cut jacket a little muddied, and her hair a mess, but none the worse for wear as smug smile lined her lips as she walked over towards her men.

Dawn crawled her way next to Brock and stuck her head out to observe them. She scanned the area carefully when she noticed Salamence was blocking another figure from her view. She was about to point it out to Brock when she was cut off by a loud grinding noise as the doors began to open to the vehicle.

They all watched straining to hear the conversation, but were too far away to make anything out. Hunter J pressed a few buttons on her arm device as a disk came hovering out and over to the figure blocked by Salamence. A deep sinking feeling overwhelmed them as they watched the scene before them.

Even though they could not see the figure, they all knew deep down who it was. It should have been no surprise really and yet the shock of seeing it firsthand slapped them hard.

"Brock!" Dawn exclaimed when the figure raised clear of Salamence. New feelings flooded her as she recognized the figure now encased in her special case being transported to the six wheeled vehicle.

"Brock!" She cried out again panicking as she darted towards the hunting party.

"Pikapi!" the little pokémon cried out in anger as sparks began to emit from its cheeks.

Brock's eyes widen upon seeing who exactly was encased in the barrier. "Dawn wait!" He hissed as he grabbed her arm stopping her in her tracks. "Pikachu." He called out in a warning tone trying to calm the electric rodent.

"There are too many of them right now, we can't just barge in on them." He pointed out.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out angrily in response.

"But Brock they have Ash, we have to do something!" Dawn hissed back just as angrily.

"Don't you think I already know that?" Brock retaliated, his expression hard causing Dawn to flinch at his sudden outburst. "He's my friend too!" he continued, a fact Dawn did not to be reminded of as she turned her attention back to Ash's frozen form locked in stone.

"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked worriedly as the hatch began to close blocking the view from within.

Brock thought about the situation as he watched the scene before him. This really wasn't his strong suit, but more of Ash's thing, ironically that was exactly who they needed to save. Brock watched as the hunter climbed back on salamence and took off, leaving the party behind.

_What would Ash do?_ Brock thought to himself as he watched the last huntsmen climb into the ATV, when suddenly he remembered exactly what Ash did. "Dawn come on!" He said as he dashed out from their hiding spot and crawled underneath the vehicle.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Dawn exclaimed before Brock pulled her underneath beside him. All four of them latched onto the underside of the vehicle as the engine kicked on.

"Brock this is crazy!" Dawn exclaimed as she held on tightly.

"Of course it is." Brock nodded in agreement, "After all, it was Ash's idea."

Dawn was about to protest again when suddenly the vehicle took off. Dawn squeezed her eyes shut too afraid to watch what she was actually doing, but the determination to help her friend allowed her to hold on as the ATV zoomed through the forest.

After a bumpy ride through the forest the vehicle had slowed to a stop as a grinding noise filled the air once again. Brock glanced out to see Hunter J's Ship opening its cargo doors. He gulped as fear consumed him, hoping beyond hope they would not get caught.

The vehicle inched its way up the ramp until it was well within the belly of the ship. The door began to grind again as it was slowly pulled close. The men from within the vehicle piled out, their cheerful voices echoing off the metal walls as they laughed and joked about various things.

Dawn looked at Brock, Her face drained of all color, as the fear of being caught consumed her as the men walked about the ship oblivious to their presence. The loud grinding noise reverberated through the vehicle as the doors opened once again.

Suddenly the happy atmosphere changed as boots clicked loudly on the metal floor, and the men dropped to a dead silence.

"Take the target to the bridge, I'll contact the client to set up a rendezvous." the hunter commanded. "Sir" The men responded as they scrambled to unload Ash from the six wheel.

"Client?" Brock mouthed to Dawn to which she shrugged in confusion. This entire time, they had assumed that hunter J had merely wanted Ash out of the way. The fact that a client had actually hired her to get their hands on Ash was troubling to say the least.

They watched the movement of feet as their friend was unloaded causing anger to stir within. Ash was nothing more than a profit to these people. Brock's grip tightened until his knuckles were white as he watched the hunter's boots disappeared down a long winding corridor. Soon after the other men followed behind with Ash in tow.

"Brock." Dawn whispered as she nudged to the disappearing figure hauling away their friend. "Don't be so hasty." Brock whispered warningly to her, pulling her back into the shadows. "Wait." he mouthed as he brought his fingers up to his lips motioning for her to be quite.

They only had one shot at this, if they were caught they may never be able to help Ash, they had to wait for this to play out. They had no idea who else was involved in this, and had no idea how deep this went. If they freed Ash now they would run the risk of the client coming after him again, but if they could figure out whom the client was, that would be really saving Ash. They had to wait, as much as it pained Brock knowing that his best friend was sealed in stone on a notorious hunter's ship.

Their footsteps echoed down the hallway until the room sank into an uncomfortable silence. Brock waited a moment longer to make sure the room was empty then released his hold on the vehicle.

"Wait here." He told Dawn and Pikachu still clinging to the underside of the vehicle. Slowly and carefully he crawled out from beneath the vehicle scanning the area for any signs of the occupants. The ship gave a giant shudder as he felt the force of takeoff shaking him to his core. He grasped the vehicle next to him until it had stopped. The humming of the engines filled the air, as Brock once again scanned the cargo hold.

Three vehicles sat in the bay with plenty of space to spare. The walls were lined with many boxes and crates of various sizes. The room contained three doors which led to narrow corridor. Brock figured it would be very easy to get lost in this ship and he did not like that idea. As much as he wanted to run off and search for Ash, Brock knew his best bet would be to let the hunter make the transaction, and free Ash from the Client.

He had seen it before, once hunter J was paid and the transaction made she would be out of the way. The more he thought about it the more it made sense to wait for things to play out. Now he just needed a place to hide, he thought as he called out to the others to come out and help him search.

Meanwhile, down the long twisting corridors of the ship Hunter J pulled up the bridge monitor as the huntsmen placed the subject in the background leaving the hunter to attend to business.

"Gareth." The hunter greeted with no emotion as she casually sat down in her chair as the door closed behind her.

"Awe hunter J." Gareth greeted her, that stupid smile spreading across his face. "I was beginning to wonder if I would ever hear from you, or if the task was too much." Gareth continued.

Hunter J scuffed at Gareth's remark as she casually crossed her legs, staring down the man on her monitor. "I take it then you do not wish to obtain the target?" The hunter asked as she turned the camera to show the frozen form of Ash, "I guess I will just have to find some other client to take the boy off my hands." She finished as her finger lingered over the switch to end the transmission.

"Ahh!" Gareth cried out in delight, the surprise evident on his face the hunter had actually succeeded. "Good, Hunter J. Very good." He commended her as he applauded her efforts. "No doubt your efforts will be rewarded, and your reputation restored." Gareth continued that stupid smile overwhelming his expression. Hunter J rolled her eyes at the annoying little man as he continued.

"I trust the task wasn't too much trouble." Gareth continued upon seeing the bruise now forming on the hunter's brow.

Gareth paused a moment waiting for the hunter's reply, but her icy glare told him the boy was more trouble then she would care to admit. "Alright," Gareth continued abandoning his efforts to get a conversation out of the Hunter, "Always straight to business with you. I will meet you at this disclosed location which I am sending you now. There we will exchange the subject for the rest of your absurd payment. "

"Good." the hunter replied as she smiled upon hearing the word payment. The computer gave a beep as the location came up on her screen. "Location received." The hunter confirmed.

"Excellent." Gareth replied, "We shall meet here at precisely 03:00 hours to make the exchange, and Hunter J," Gareth paused a moment catching the hunter's full attention, "If I should find the authorities knocking on my door," He paused for a greater affect as he dropped the smile from his face, his insanity burning clearly in his eyes. "This will be the very last business transaction you will ever make."

Hunter J stood staring at the man unaffected by his words. "Understood." she merely said as she hit the switch to cut the transmission. She turned her attention back to the frozen form of the boy behind her locked in suspension. His face masking the confused expression she had put there with her words only hours ago when he learned of the client.

"What did you get yourself into kid?" She asked him curiously wondering for the first time since the meeting what kind of plans Gareth had for the Brat.

(A/N: I had considered breaking this up into two stories since after the transaction Hunter J would no longer be a part of the story and the title Drag Hunting would seem pointless, and making the second part of the story all about the client, but in the end I decided against it for now. I still have much of Gareth's stuff to write and depending on the length I still might take that path but we shall see.)


	11. Seaside Rendezvous

Chapter 11: Seaside Rendezvous

A/N: After much typing and much deleting I have finally settled on a path, but once again be patient with me because all the details are not yet hammered out.

The constant hum of the engines vibrated through the ship, the only indication that they were still on the move. Time passed as they flew further and further, blind to what exactly they had managed to get themselves into.

Brock and Dawn had fallen off into an uneasy sleep, but Pikachu's overwhelming concern kept him wide awake. It was killing him inside knowing that Ash was within his reach locked in an eternal prison. He knew what it was like to be suspended from the world. To watch as the world moved on around you, while you remained powerless to act. Pikachu remembered how relieved he had been when Ash freed him from his prison and wished he could do the same, but Brock was right. All that there was left to do was wait, and Pikachu had never been good at waiting.

No matter how much he hated the situation they had to draw out the client. It was beyond the comprehension of the little pokémon as to why anyone would want to kidnap his trainer, but Pikachu swore that whatever the reason he would bring an end to it.

The ship suddenly gave a shudder as the engines cut off waking Brock from his slumber.

"pi?" Pikachu listened intently as it twitched its ears.

"We stopped." Brock observed as he shook Dawn awake, reminding her to remain quite. Not long after many footsteps echoed in the hallway announcing the return of the hunting party. All three peered around the crate they had been hiding behind to watch as the gigantic bay doors screeched open. The hunter strode forward with a man pushing Ash's case closely behind her and made their way down the ramp.

"Where are we?" Dawn asked when she realized that the ground was covered with sand instead of the mud of the forest floor they had been wadding through the past few days.

Brock merely shrugged as he motioned for Dawn to be quiet. He stooped down low and made his way towards the door praying to whoever may be listening that they were not seen.

Hunter J strode forwards and finally came to a stop a few meters away from her ship. She glanced at her watch in annoyance letting out a groan of disapproval. The rest of her men impatiently scanned the area looking for any signs of the client, but they were only greeted by the lull of the sea as it kicked the white sands of the beach.

Twenty minutes seemed to pass and then from out of nowhere a giant gust of wind kicked up the sand blowing it every which way. Everyone scrambled to shield themselves from the sudden sandstorm as a giant air ship continued it's decent on the beach below.

The engines roared loudly drowning out all other noise until, the ship finally landed. The noisy engines cut off sharply and the sand settled down. All eyes were on the ship before them as it sat there for a moment completely still. A loud clink filled the air as its massive cargo ramp lowered opening the ship to them. Then out from the ship walked five men, including Gareth himself.

They walked the short distant across the beach until they were only a few meters in front of the hunters. Gareth broke out of line of his men and walked on casually towards the hunter, which did the same, until they met in the middle.

Gareth's face broke out in a huge smile as he observed the hunter. "Nice ship." he began as if this were merely a conversation on a beach and not a business transaction.

Hunter J snorted at the little man's comment as she signaled her men behind her to bring forth the merchandise. Her men responded immediately pushing the casing towards the two.

"Brock," Dawn began as she watched the scene before her. "We better sneak on board now while they are all distracted." she finished pointing to the open cargo doors.

Brock nodded in agreement as he looked over to the other ship. Dawn was right, they had to sneak over now while they weren't looking because unlike the forest the beach provided no cover, and he did not want to miss his opportunity.

Brock was so focused on getting into the other ship he hadn't even realized that the group had stopped talking.

"over there!" Someone shouted drawing everyone's attention towards the trio.

"It's those brats again!" Hunter J's goon squad yelled out as they recognized the intruders.

"Take care of it." Gareth glared menacing at the hunter.

Before the hunter could even react to Gareth's command however, her men had already released their pokémon to seek their revenge from their earlier humiliation.

"Crobat, go!" They yelled and before Brock could blink a swarm of crobat was between them and Ash.

"Crogunk, Sudoowudoo!" he retaliated as he threw the pokéball up releasing the pokémon.

"Brock we don't have time for this!" Dawn cried out as she eyed the client retreating back to their ship with Ash in tow.

"I know!" Brock replied as he motioned for her to chase after them. "I'll hold them off."

Dawn threw a glance at the giant swarm of crobat now charging them, not liking the idea of leaving Brock. The Crobat ebbed closer until they clashed with the two pokémon. They swooped around the two easily avoiding their attacks. Then seemingly from nowhere a massive thunderbolt ripped through the air hitting two of the poison type pokémon.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out pleadingly with Dawn knowing Brock would need his help here.

"Dawn!" Brock called out to her again breaking her from her uncertainty. "We got this." he assured her.

Dawn nodded with new found confidence. They could handle the goon squad easily; she had to get to Ash. She quickly turned her attention back towards the client and saw there were almost to their ship.

Dawn took off sprinting, the sand making her feel as if she were crawling. The distance between her and Ash never seemed to be getting any closer. She hitched her breathing and pushed herself even harder as she realized they were mere inches from the ramp. If she didn't get to them in time, she would loss him. Why had she wasted her time worried about Brock, when Ash was the one who needed her?

She could hear the fight continue from behind, but her eyes were narrowed on Ash. She had to reach him. She pushed herself even harder when suddenly the ground in front of her exploded. Dawn was sent flying and landed with a thud. Sand pelted her from everywhere making it difficult to see, but she had a pretty good idea what had caused it.

Dawn scrambled to get up and found a massive Salamence hovering before her, and on top none other than hunter J.

"Going somewhere?" The hunter chided.

Dawn's anger flared as she glared up at the hunter, hatred pouring through her eyes as she reached for a pokéball, and releasing Buneary.

A smile began to play on the hunter's lips as she looked down on the little girl. "You know, you brats are all alike." She scoffed, "defiant to your end."

Dawn clenched her fist as she yelled out an attack, but Salamence was quick, and easily dodged the ice beam thrown at it.

A loud grinding noise began to fill the air as the cargo bay of the client's ship closed. Brock chanced a glance to see if Dawn had made it, only to find her face to face with Hunter J. Forgetting his battle he bolted towards the ship, desperate to reach it.

The engines whined to life as it began to kick up sand, swirling it all around stopping everyone in their tracks, to protect themselves from the harsh sands. The deafening whirl of the engines drowned out Pikachu's cries as he realized the ship was taking off with his trainer still inside.

In the center of the sandstorm, the ship slowly made its ascent, and before it could even register on the trio, Ash was gone.

The battles all lay forgotten as they all watched the ship disappear from sight. Hunter J, realizing her job was done, called out to her men for them to pull back. The men called back their pokémon as they filed back aboard their ship.

Brock finally snapped out of his shock and realized the hunter was leaving. They were their only lead to Ash. If they left, they would never know where he was.

"Stop!" He yelled running after them, with a very angry Pikachu on his tail. The hunter paused on the ramp, and turned around to face him.

"Where are they taking him?!" Brock yelled angrily, Pikachu sparking his cheeks threateningly. Hunter J merely scoffed at him and turned back around continuing her way back into the ship.

"Wait!" Brock yelled desperately As Pikachu charged up for a massive attack, but before he could release it the engines of her ship whipped to life as the cargo doors were pulled shut. The sand once again whipped around as the early morning calm was once again torn apart.

It wasn't long until the calm returned as the ship left for its next assignment, leaving the three alone on the beach.

A/N: Like I stated before Drag Hunting is coming to an end as Hunter J's part in the story closes. One more chapter in Drag hunting and then that's it, a new part of the story will be written with a Gareth heavy plot. Also please don't hate me for the cliffhanger.


	12. Embers

Chapter 12: Embers

A/N: Once titled From the Ashes, now Embers is the final chapter to Drag Hunting. I have a feeling I am going to get a lot of steam about how this story ends, but keep in mind that the sequel is being written as we speak, and I did not want to write myself into a corner with this story. So without further ado here it is.

The midnight hours grew long as her eyelids grew heavier, and despite the sweet lure of sleep, peace eluded Dawn once again.

Her head sank deeper into the pillows, weighed down by the thousands of thoughts racing through her mind.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since that awful night on the beach, but Dawn felt as if she were still living in that moment. Her mind always dwelled on the beach, that last place she had seen him. She couldn't leave that place; that place she had failed him. She had failed Ash. Dawn was stuck on that beach burdened with guilt.

Every night she would dream of that moment. Stuck in a never ending sort of hell chasing after him, and every night it would end with him being whisked away from her and every night since she had cried herself to sleep for him.

Tonight seemed as if it would be no different as the warm unwelcomed tears began to form blurring her vision of the moon lit room. She rolled over to her side as her heart broke again. Time only seemed to make it worse as Dawn wondered if she would ever see him again. She wanted to believe she would. She kept waiting for him to waltz through her door with that goofy smile, but as the days passed and no word was heard her heart broke a little more.

She tried to fight through the despair and hold onto her hope, but it was hard considering so much time had gone by. She missed him. Her heart sunk as she caught a glimpse of his familiar red hat basking in the soft glow of moonlight. Tears began to fall more freely as her heart cried for her to hold on to her hope, but the clutches of despair held her firm.

The last hours crawled on as she wept, for Ash, for her despair.

"Dawn?" A soft voice called out to her in the darkness.

Brock. She had had thought he had fallen asleep hours ago. His voice was weighed down with concern for her. Dawn wanted to answer him but found she couldn't. Just the thought of facing him brought more tears to her eyes. Surely he must blame her just as she had, how could he not?

"Dawn" Brock tried again as the silence ticked on between them. Brock was worried about her. She was trying to shut the world out as she drowned in her sorrows. He didn't know how much longer she could keep it up without having a complete breakdown.

Slowly Brock got up from where he laid and walked over to the sobbing pile of blankets. "Dawn." Tried once more as he sat on the edge of her bed placing what he hoped to be a comforting hand on her shoulder. She ignored his attempts to reach out to her, her gaze solely fixed on his hat and she cried.

Brock followed her gaze to find Ash's hat set on the edge of her night stand. He sighed as he thought carefully about what to say.

"You know." He began softly to her. "We never really did talk about what happened, and I am beginning to think that maybe we should." He waited a moment for her response, but she gave none. Truth was Brock had foolishly hoped that if he did not talk about it, then the pain of their loss would not be brought to light, but it seemed just the opposite had happen. They were both suffering silently in each of their own misery.

"It's not your fault." He took a stab in the dark wondering if she had been burdened with the same guilt he had. He seemed to strike a chord as the tears flowed more heavily from Dawn as she laid there still transfixed on the hat. He wasn't getting through to her, and he wouldn't this way. It was always easy telling a person it wasn't their fault, but making them believe it was an entirely different story.

"You once asked me if Ash knew how much I value his friendship." Brock began again breaking his gaze away from her. Dawn finally broke through her shell as she turned to face Brock, waiting for him to continue.

"I …" Brock faltered choking on his words. "I always hope he does." He began again. "But the truth is no one can really know what you don't tell them. I guess we all take our friendship for granted Dawn."

Dawn stifled a sob as she took in Brocks features and thought about what he said. "Thing is," he continued "I have to believe that one day I'll get the chance to tell him." He paused a moment and turned his gaze back towards Dawn. Their eyes locked as an intense wave of emotion passed between the two. "And you will too."

Dawn's eyes began to water even more, but she held her gaze. "We will find him Dawn." he told her, as if were a fact. "You have to believe that." he stressed to her through her watery gaze.

Dawn slowly sat up in her bed her distress screaming out to Brock as they came to eye level and threw her arms around him in a comforting embrace throwing Brock off guard, but only for a moment. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in a comforting embrace.

"I do." She whispered in his ear as she let out another stifled sob.

"Good." He replied as he unwillingly pulled away from her, slowly getting up and making his way back to his bed.

"Thank you." her soft voice called out to him.

He didn't turn around; as he answered back "what are friends for." He couldn't face her again; his façade might crumble along with his lie.

He heard her shuffle with the blankets by the time he had made it back to his bed. He wanted to believe what he had told her, but like he said, it was easier to say things than to believe, and sometimes, just sometimes, you have to look someone in the eye and tell them the truth that should be instead of the one that is [1].

Brock crawled back into his bed trying not to hate himself even more as he drifted off into in uneasy sleep.

Miles away

The early morning lights glowed softly off the pure crisp snow lining the forest floor. The brisk air cut through the many layers Connor had piled on, the cold settling into every bone. It was too early for this.

Connor couldn't explain it but something didn't sit right with his pokémon's behavior. One minute he was snuggled comfy cozy in a bundle of blankets, the next thing he knew Mightyena had grown anxious and eager. Before Connor could even wipe the sleep from his eyes, his loyal Mightyena had bolted out the door swallowed by the cold morning grays. His bark slowly fading as he ran further and further.

He looked sadly down to his daughter traveling beside him. It was quiet, and he wasn't to overly optimistic at the moment, but that sad look in his daughter's eyes drove him forward.

"Mightyena!" He cried out again, but still he heard nothing. The thick snow seemed to even muffle his cry. If it were any other circumstance Connor would have enjoyed the peaceful landscape Mother Nature had laid out for them, but Mightyena was still missing.

"Come on Lori." He said as they pushed forward, the only sound accompanying them was the crunching of the snow beneath their feet. They pushed on as the sun continued to break through the eastern horizon. They came to a halt at the edge of a cliff overlooking the vast landscape glowing in soft pinks and orange.

"Why do you think Mightyena ran off like that?" Lori asked her father, but he had no answer for her.

Lori stared at the scene in awe, as she took a step closer to get a better view. She scanned through the frozen forest the best she could for her beloved Mightyena, but to no avail.

"Migh- she began but stopped as the cold wind rushed past her. She had walked too close to the edge and the snow bank crumbled beneath her feet. She couldn't even scream as she slid down the steep cliff side into the forest below.

"Lori!" Connor cried out in panic as he watched his nine year old daughter disappear. He scanned the area searching for a way down to her when he spotted a possible way down.

"Lori!" He called down to her waiting for a response, but receiving none. "Lori!" He cried out again this time more desperate. His voice slowly traveled down to where she laid sprawled out in the snow. Slowly she got up at the sound of her father's panicked voice. Her eyes climbed the steep slope she had slide down vaguely making out her father's figure.

"I'm ok!" She called back up to him rubbing her sore back side.

Connor sighed in relief upon hearing his daughter's voice. "Just stay where you are, I'm coming to you!" He hollered back down to her, he didn't even wait for her to respond before he took off running as fast as he could with the thick layers hindering his progress.

Lori sighed as she watched his figure disappear. Hopefully he would find his way down to her soon patience was not one of her strong suits. She scanned the area she was now standing in and puffed out a frustrated breath. True her father had told her to stay where she was but Lori always did have troubles waiting, not to mention Mightyena was still out there.

She was torn in indecision when a familiar noise made her snap to one.

"Mightyena." she whispered in surprise upon recognizing his faint bark. Hopefully her father would understand she thought as she ran towards the source of the noise.

She ran for awhile fighting through the thick snow following the echoes of his bark. Lori's heartbeat quickened when she realized Mightyena had stopped barking. She grew nervous as she spun around realizing she had no idea where she was.

"Mightyena!" She cried out. She waited a moment in silence as the wind blew hollowly through the frozen forest, her gold locks fluttering under the warmth of her hat. After a moment longer Mightyena's cries returned.

"I'm coming!" She cried out as she began running again. Mightyena's cries grew louder as she got closer and before she knew it she found herself by a river.

Many ice chunks floated atop the slow moving river bed, sending a chill up her spine. She was almost captivated by the grey waters swirling around rocks and ice, when a bark brought her out of it.

Relief flooded her as her gaze fell upon Mightyena not much further from where she stood. She was about to run to him when she caught sight of something else; a prone figure lying at his feet. Cautiously she approached the two. It was a boy, about her age, and he was out cold. Not only that, he barely had any clothes on. Not that he was half naked or anything, but he definitely wasn't wearing any winter gear, so he might as well have been in this weather.

Mightyena gave a whine walking in small circles as she crouched down to examine him, when she suddenly realized he was soaked. He was beyond pale, a stark contrast to his jet black hair, and his lips were turning a new shade of blue.

"Dad!" She cried out as loud as she could, hoping he would find her fast before it was too late.

A/N: And that is it for Drag Hunting. Answers will be forth coming in the next story I think it is going to be called Road to Revelation. Thank you for all the great reviews and helpful critiques.

[1] a direct quote from the TV Drama Takin' Over the Asylum I have been wanting to use.


End file.
